Charles Teves
The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) obtained documents revealing that three companies owned or managed by billionaire Manuel Villar Jr.’s family owe Las Piñas City P213.55 million in taxes and penalties.
For many years, Brittany Corporation, Villar Sipag Center, and Villar Sipag at Tiyaga Foundation did not pay real property taxes on various assets in the city. These assets included Mella Hotel, three Evia buildings, Portofino Commercial, and the Villar Sipag Center.
Recently, these companies requested Mayor Imelda Aguilar, who is the sister-in-law of Senator Cynthia Villar, wife of the Villar patriarch, to waive penalties worth P71.6 million.
Mayor Imelda Aguilar supported the requests of the Villar-owned companies to the city council, which her daughter, Vice Mayor Aguilar-Nery, leads.
The mayor explained that companies needed to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In March of this year, the mayor requested that the vice mayor provide amnesty for penalties incurred by residents and businesses. This included those owned by the Villar family. The request is still pending before the city council.
The PCIJ obtained documents and correspondences indicating tax deficiencies on eight properties of Brittany Corporation, two of Villar Sipag Center, and one of Villar Sipag at Tiyaga Foundation.
The Villar family members are shareholders, officers, or hold both positions in the companies and business entities that own the properties.
The business and political empire of Villar Jr., Cynthia, and their son, Senator Mark Villar, started in the city when they won a seat in the House of Representatives.
Following in her parents’ footsteps, the Villar couple’s daughter, Camille, is now a lawmaker representing the city’s lone district.
With a net worth of $8.6 billion or around P467 billion, Villar Jr. has been named the richest person in the Philippines for 2023 by Forbes.
Netizens weren’t happy with Villars.
Gusto talaga talunin ng mga V ang mga M as pinakakupal na pamilya. 🤮🤮🤮 https://t.co/gltot4M27B
— Ria J 🤍 (@riajose) May 6, 2023
Hoy Cynthia!!!! Bago ka mameywang, bayad bayad din ng utang!!!! ( BUWISit ka!!!!!) https://t.co/Ez3lgs20uM
— Masha Rostova👻👻👻 Agent Keen (@MashaMasha2022) May 6, 2023
https://twitter.com/andreweird/status/1654860404865265664?s=20
One of the richest man in the country is not paying taxes 🫢 the design is very ph president https://t.co/EhKP2C8LBX
— mady | #NeverAgain (@Privataed) May 6, 2023
Top billionaire, top tax evader?! https://t.co/9tK3ciL4nJ
— @iamrsunga 🇵🇭 (@ricky_balita) May 6, 2023
ALL SCAM. 😳 https://t.co/IT32G7XYPJ
— Pookie Pie 🍭 (@pookiepay) May 6, 2023
However, a summary of tax delinquents prepared by the city assessor’s office shows that 18 other properties owned or managed by the Villar family, whose documents are not available to the PCIJ, have not paid taxes.
The summary reveals that 11 additional Brittany properties, not included in PCIJ documents, owe the city another P10.4 million.
It also shows that two other companies led by Villar, Golden Haven Memorial Park Inc., and Fine Properties Inc., failed to pay real property taxes dating back to 1996 and 2018, respectively.
They owe the city an additional P14.5 million. The summary encompasses 300 properties, and the city treasurer’s office notified the owners in 2022.
The PCIJ contacted Senator Cynthia Villar’s office for a statement. Although she is one of the incorporators of Villar Sipag at Tiyaga Foundation and a shareholder of Fine Properties, she stated that she does not intervene in business matters.
“The subject matter of your query involves purely corporate concerns, which does not involve my function as a senator,” she said in a statement her office sent to PCIJ.
“The perceived issue is well within the competence of the management team of these corporate entities and I do not interfere nor involve myself in these business concerns. Nonetheless, I will refer the matter to the senior officers of these corporations for their appropriate action,” she said.
The PCIJ has not received any response from Mayor Aguilar and Vice Mayor Aguilar-Nery regarding their comment request as of this publication.
