In a statement on Tuesday, October 1, Santos said he is not backing down against Villars even if his opponent is one of the richest persons and leaders in the country.
“I’d rather die fighting than withdrawing from the race,” said Santos, who once served as chief of staff of the late Las Piñas Mayor Vergel Aguilar, brother of Cynthia.
The expected political clash in Las Piñas has drawn public attention due to factions within the Aguilar family, which has long held the city’s political scene.
On the other hand, the Villars—through the Nacionalista Party—have maintained a strong presence in local politics. Cynthia’s husband, former Senate president Manny Villar, established the said political party.
The Villars reportedly support Carlo, the son of Cynthia Villar’s elder brother Christian Aguilar, for the mayoral seat in Las Piñas.
Meanwhile, Nery is the daughter of former mayor Vergel Aguilar, the husband of Mayor Imelda Aguilar, and Cynthia’s older brother.
Cynthia, who is 74 years old, was elected as the representative of Las Piñas in 2001 and served three terms until 2010. In the 2013 midterm elections, she ran for and won the Senate seat. In 2019, she was re-elected.
Santos said Villar was getting old and should consider leaving politics so new politicians could run the city.
“Despite the political dynasty of the Villar clan for the past three decades, napapag iwanan pa rin ang Las Pinas in terms of development and improvement among the cities in Metro Manila, “Santos said. “It’s disgusting,” he added.
According to Santos, the Villar group of companies still owes the city government over P70 million in taxes and penalties.
Sought for comment, Cynthia said the issue “involves purely corporate concerns, which does not involve my function as a senator.”
The senator also argued that there were several mistakes regarding taxpayers’ names, the assessed market value of the properties in question, and the taxes charged to Brittany Corp. She has expressed their willingness to resolve these dues. (TCSP)
