LAS Piñas Lone District Rep. Mark Anthony Santos today called on the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA), the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and all concerned government agencies to fully cooperate with the Office of the Ombudsman following the submission by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) of key documents relating to the long-delayed ₱64.915-billion LRT-1 Cavite Extension Project.
Santos made the appeal after Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez confirmed that the DOTr had turned over documents to the Office of the Ombudsman covering the LRT-1 Cavite Extension Project and related infrastructure, including the controversial alignment of the railway and the C-5 Road Extension flyover.
“The submission of these documents is a major development. The truth is now in the hands of the Ombudsman, and the investigation must proceed without fear or favor,” Santos said. “A thorough investigation is essential to uncover the truth and hold those responsible for the project’s delays accountable.”
The Ombudsman has initiated an investigation into alleged right-of-way interferences and alignment modifications involving the Las Piñas section of the project, where the proposed LRT-1 station is planned on property owned by the Villar family.
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla earlier confirmed that graft investigators are examining allegations that Senators Mark Villar and Camille Villar may have interfered with the implementation of the LRT-1 Cavite Extension Project.
According to Remulla, investigators are reviewing communications, engineering records, and official documents from the agencies involved to determine whether there was any improper intervention in the project’s implementation.
The investigation also includes allegations that the railway alignment was altered toward the C-5 Road corridor in Las Piñas, where the Villar family reportedly owns substantial properties.
“The Ombudsman must be given unrestricted access to every document necessary to uncover the truth. Every government agency involved has a legal and moral duty to cooperate fully, completely, and without reservation,” Santos said.
The lawmaker urged the LRTA, DPWH, DOTr, and all other concerned agencies to immediately provide investigators with all engineering plans, feasibility studies, alignment maps, right-of-way records, contracts, permits, technical evaluations, official correspondence, and other records relevant to the project.
“The Filipino people deserve to know why this project has remained stalled for years, who authorized the decisions that resulted in the delays, whether the railway alignment was altered, and whether public officials or private interests benefited at the expense of millions of commuters,” Santos said.
He stressed that the investigation should not merely establish accountability but should also ensure that the remaining legal and right-of-way obstacles are removed so construction can finally proceed.
Santos noted that Lopez has announced that the government would present the Villar Group with what he described as a non-negotiable offer covering the donation of six parcels of land needed for the proposed Las Piñas Station.
“It’s a take-it-or-leave-it offer. They have to make a decision,” Lopez said in a radio interview, adding that if the Villar Group rejects the government’s terms, the DOTr is prepared to proceed with the construction of the line up to the Zapote and Niog stations in Bacoor, Cavite, without building the Las Piñas Station.
Santos added that the government’s latest position demonstrates the urgency of finally resolving the remaining right-of-way issues but emphasized that any agreement must be fully transparent, legally sound, and consistent with the public interest.
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