‘New politics,’ how? Camille seeks to be the 4th Senator Villar
MANILA, Philippines – Camille Villar, the youngest scion of the Villar political dynasty and an executive of their expanding property and retail empire, has promised “new politics,” as she filed her certificate of candidacy (COC) for the Senate on Friday, October 4.
Should she win in the 2025 midterm elections, Camille would be serving in the upper house at the same time as her elder brother Mark, just as her mother Cynthia reaches her term limit. She was accompanied to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Friday by her father, former senator Manny Villar, the 3rd richest person in the Philippines according to the latest Forbes ranking.
Camille is currently representative of Las Piñas, a city that has been controlled by her family ever since her maternal grandfather, Filemon Aguilar, became mayor in the sixties. But she said it’s her being a millennial that makes her new.
“As the only millennial candidate [for senator in the family] and a member of the Filipino youth, I strongly believe I can contribute towards new politics in our country,” said Camille, who then proceeded to accept questions from the media.
Asked about nepotism, Camille said: “That’s a very good question, and what’s important to remember here is that we were all elected officials — my mother, my father and my brother, and nagpapasalamat po kami ng taos puso sa ating mga kababayan sa patuloy nilang pagsuporta at pagbibigay ng tiwala (we thank with all our hearts our countrymen for continuously giving us support and trust).”
The Villars have been criticized by many agrarian organizations over their property companies’ land use conversions, or turning farmlands into subdivisions, and then bills against land conversion get stuck in Cynthia’s committee.
Before Camille filed her COC, farmer Danilo Ramos of the leftist Makabayan’s Senate slate slammed Cynthia, who is the chairperson of the Senate committee on agriculture and food.
“Nagtataka po kami sa pagdalo ko sa Senado sa public hearing, si Senator Cynthia Villar, tatlo ang komite na hawak…paano kami na dumaranas ng hirap at wala nang masaka dahil sa massive land use conversion? ” he said on Friday.
(It boggles me how in the Senate when I attend a public hearing, Senator Cynthia Villar chairs three committees…but how about us experiencing hardships, our harvests now scarce because of massive land use conversion.)
Camille did not directly answer how her family’s development business affects farmers, and instead simply said: “I believe everyone is entitled to their own opinions. But I also know my mother is very passionate with the agricultural sector.”
“Her real aim and motivation is to truly help our farmers, have their own land, and help them improve their lives, and to the best of our ability, she has done that. Pero nirerespeto natin ang opinyon ng lahat (But we respect everyone’s opinion),” said Camille.
In July 2020, she voted to kill the franchise of television network ABS-CBN, which was then-president Rodrigo Duterte’s retaliation against the Lopezes for his perceived unfair airing of political ads by the Kapamilya network in the 2016 elections. ABS-CBN’s Channel 2 frequency was then awarded to the Villars’ media company, Advanced Media Broadcasting System or AMBS, in 2022.
Camille was also a principal author of the feared anti-terror law, which galvanized various forces of the political spectrum to challenge its constitutionality for its chilling effect on free speech. The Supreme Court has mostly upheld the law.
Camille lists on her website 66 principally-authored bills in her two terms at the lower house. One of those is House Bill 8385, which has passed third reading, aiming to utilize idle lands both public and private for urban farming to address food security.
Camille also promised housing, saying “naniniwala ako na kapag lahat ng Pilipino ay may magandang tirahan o magandang bahay, ay magkakaroon din sila ng pagbabago o pagbubuti ng kanilang buhay.” (I believe that if Filipinos have a good home, they will also have a good life.)
Her website still lists her as director of the family-run Vista Land & Lifescapes, which owns Camella Homes a mass housing developer. She’s also a director in the Villars’ holding firm Golden MV Holdings Incorporated; vice chair of retail firms AllHome Corporation and AllDay Marts Incorporated; and president and CEO of AllValue Holdings Corporation. – Rappler.com
