Sen. Mark Villar refuted allegations of ‘prohibited interest’ in a cousin’s link to flood control projects while he was secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
‘I have no direct or indirect ownership or controlling interest in any company participating in DPWH projects. The official public record confirms that none of my relatives acquired any contracts during my tenure as Secretary,’ Villar said.
The senator made the remark in response to Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla’s statement saying its flood control investigation now covered the Villar clan following a Bilyonaryo news report claiming cousin Carlo Aguilar’s I and E Construction bagged P18.5 billion worth of projects during Villar’s tenure in public works.
Remulla called it a ‘prohibited interest’ that Villar’s cousin won contracts for flood control and other infrastructure projects while Villar was DPWH secretary.
But Villar said he instituted reforms in the department to curb corruption, such as geotagging projects, digitizing data, and used drone technology to do on-site inspections of projects.
Villar welcomed the Independent Commission for Infrastructure’s move to subpoena him on its investigation on the flood control corruption scandal.
Meanwhile, Villar, has been summoned by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure.
The ICI is inviting Villar to its office in Taguig next Tuesday, Oct. 7, to shed light on the ‘planning, budgeting, execution, supervision and monitoring of flood control and other infrastructure projects’ during his time, according to the subpoena issued on Thursday.
Villar served as DPWH chief from 2016 to 2021 before resigning to run for the Senate the following year.
Along with his senator-sister Camille and mother Cynthia, he is now dragged into the investigation conducted by the Department of Justice over P18.5 billion in infrastructure contractors in Las Piñas bagged by his first cousin.
Besides the senator, the ICI has sent out an invitation to former speaker Martin Romualdez and will summon resigned representative Zaldy Co – central figures in the investigation over anomalous flood works for helming the budget process in the House in the 19th Congress.