By Robert B. Roque Jr.
Senatorial bets under BBM’s Alyansa slate are vowing to pass the National Land Use Act if elected — something that has been shelved in Congress for decades. Former Senate president Tito Sotto recalls how the Senate once passed it, only for the House to cut off its legs at the plenary.
During the campaign trail, ACT Partylist Rep. Erwin Tulfo said the proposed measure was necessary to stop land abuse. Ping Lacson, another Alyansa bet aiming to get back into the Senate, cited how Laguna’s farmland is vanishing.
Reelectionist-Sen. Francis Tolentino also believes it is long overdue and eyes rewriting a new path for the Land Use Act. Then we have ex-DILG chief Benhur Abalos suggesting that in the interim, incentives be given to farmland owners to slow down the sellout.
And yet, despite all these voices calling for action in the pro-administration team, the House — where land developer interests hold sway — has been the biggest roadblock.
Which brings us to an interesting silence.
I’m just curious — Camille Villar, a sitting congresswoman and senatorial aspirant, has yet to say a word about the issue. Her mother, Sen. Cynthia Villar, openly opposed the measure two years ago. Her father, Manny Villar, built his fortune on real estate. Her family’s empire thrives on converting land into housing.
So the question is: Does Camille Villar stand with the farmers, or with the billion-peso business her family controls?
My skepticism, though, is not all unfounded. In 2022, Sen. Raffy Tulfo — brother of Erwin — directly confronted Sen. Cynthia Villar during a Senate hearing over the unchecked conversion of farmland into subdivisions.
Tulfo exposed how the farm-to-market road (FMR) program, meant to help farmers, was riddled with corruption — often benefiting not farmers, but private interests. He slammed the trend of farmlands being converted into residential areas, questioning what the Department of Agriculture (DA) was doing to stop it.
The lady senator responded in defense of her family’s real estate business, insisting that converting farmland is an “investment decision” that benefits landowners. I would read this response as a candid and truthful declaration of priorities.
Sen. Villar had no qualms about pushing policies that benefited developers at the expense of farmers. Her Rice Tariffication Law, which forced local farmers to compete with cheaper imports, had already driven many to sell their lands out of desperation. When Tulfo brought this up, she showed no remorse, only justifications about World Bank ratings and government loans.
So, forgive me if I insist on hearing from Camille. If she is her own person, she should have no problem taking a firm stand — unless, of course, her Senate bid is less about public service and more about securing her family’s real estate empire.
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