Las Piñas City Lone District Representative Mark Anthony Santos has disputed claims by the Villar family that intricate right-of-way complications are the sole reason behind the ongoing delays paralyzing the multibillion-peso LRT-1 Cavite Extension Project.
Santos’s remarks came after Villar-affiliated firms, Fine Properties Inc. and Villar Land Holding Inc., pushed back against allegations of obstruction, stating that the accusations do not reflect the actual situation.
According to the lawmaker, the standstill actually arises from an unexecuted Right-of-Way Usage Agreement (ROWUA). He noted that the contract remains unsigned despite explicit directives from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to clear up project bottlenecks.
Santos revealed that key stakeholders—including the DOTr, Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA), Light Rail Manila Corp., and Villar Group representatives—held numerous meetings between September 2021 and June 2025 to finalize the proposed ROWUA.
However, the lack of a completed deal continues to freeze the government’s revised alignment plans for the rail line.
“Imagine, a single family can delay- or even derail- a project that would benefit millions of ordinary Filipinos and taxpayers. We have documentary evidence o resibo showing that this government project has been repeatedly delayed,” Santos said.
To support his claim, Santos pointed to a two-page letter from Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez to Cynthia Javarez, the president of Fine Properties and Golden MV Holdings Inc.
The correspondence indicated that landowners had yet to sign off on a draft agreement meant to formalize their commitment to donate the property to the government at no cost.
Furthermore, the lawmaker highlighted statements from Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla, confirming an ongoing investigation into allegations that sibling Senators Mark and Camille Villar are stalling the rail extension.
“There’s an alignment in Sucat, Parañaque, where the project stopped because they allegedly want it along C-5, where they have properties,” said Remulla.
In response, former Senator Cynthia Villar defended her family’s businesses on social media, refuting accusations that Fine Properties and Villar Land Holdings are causing bottlenecks for the infrastructure project.
“In fact, the proposal to donate the properties involved came from the companies to help move the project forward and avoid the cost and delay of expropriation,” the Villar matriarch said.
“The companies’ representatives and the (LRTA) have also been in constant coordination, and at this point, they are simply waiting for LRTA’s due diligence and the necessary documents for review,” she said.
“The companies have no reason to delay a project that will greatly benefit the public and remain fully supportive of its timely completion. We hope everyone takes time to verify the facts before drawing conclusion or assigning blame,” the former senator added.
The ₱64.915-billion LRT-1 Cavite Extension Project has been in development since the administration of former President Joseph Estrada. The unresolved disputes heavily impact Phase 2 of the transit line, which covers the planned stations in Las Piñas and Zapote.