MANILA, Philippines — A week after a video of Senator Cynthia Villar berating security guards in Las Piñas City went viral online, she has indicated that she may take legal action against those who spread the clip, claiming they did so with ill will.
JC Dela Cruz World’s six-and-a-half-minute video last April 19th captured the senator asking security guards to remove metal barriers along Aventine Street in BF Resort Village.
In a news conference at the Senate on Wednesday, Villar said, “I don’t want to be remembered as a senator who kept quiet. I want to be remembered as someone who fought for what is right and what is good for the people.”
She decried the move to block off the road leading to a composting facility she had built years ago.
“There was no outburst. They’re just inventing that. There was no outburst. I was just telling them to remove the gate because it’s for public use,” Villar said partly in Filipino.
Asked if she thinks there was “malicious intent” behind the posting of the video, the senator said: “Yes, but I don’t want to talk about it because we’re going to court. That’s sub judice.”
Villar said she’s consulting with her lawyer to determine if she should sue the person who uploaded the video taken without her consent.
In the viral video, a voice pleaded repeatedly for the senator not to harm the security personnel. Villar became suspicious but later found out that the incident was recorded.
“They planned it but that’s okay with me. You know, if you’re a public official and you encounter all these problems, you must accept it because that’s the price you pay for being a public official. You have to accept all these things. You just do what you have to do afterwards,” she said.
Villar took note that there is a temporary restraining order issued by the Las Pinas Regional Trial Court, which means the BF Resort Village Homeowners Association “cannot anymore stop people from using the Friendship Route.”
The Friendship Route allows Las Piñas residents to pass through several private villages in the city, offering an alternative to the often-congested Alabang – Zapote Road.
READ: Las Piñas mayor’s order tests ‘Friendship’ with village orgs
“Maybe that’s why they got mad at me because that will bring down the income. Because they’re charging P2,500 per sticker while Friendship Stickers are free for people for Las Piñeros,” Villar said.
She further said, “I complain, so they won’t do this continuously, because it’s not good for the people. Me – I can always do what is good for me but it’s not good for the ordinary people.”
Villar – whose family owns property developer Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc. – also raised a slew of complaints against the BF Resort Village Homeowners Association, which she said she had been a member of for around 45 years.
She said the homeowners’ group stopped her from paving a sidewalk and planting trees in the area of the composting facility.
They even took down a tarpaulin welcoming her to one of the fiestas she was invited to, Villar claimed.
Anti-LGBTQ+ remarks
The viral video also captured a miffed Villar saying she won’t hurt the security guards.
“How can I hurt them? Are they gay? How can I, a woman, hurt them?” the senator said.
The remark drew backlash, particularly from LGBTQ+ advocacy group Bahaghari Philippines, who emphasized that one’s sexual orientation does not give anyone the right to cause harm.
Still firmly defending her side, Villar said: “[The security guard] is too big for me to hurt him. There’s something wrong with him. He’s a security guard. He has a gun in his holster. What will I say? Would I be able to hurt him?”