LAS Piñas Lone District Rep. Mark Anthony Santos on Friday dismissed as “too little, too late” the Villar family’s claim that they were willing to donate the land needed for the long-delayed Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1 Cavite Extension Project, saying the statement raises more questions than answers.
Santos said the Villar family’s recent pronouncement is difficult to reconcile with the years of delays that have stalled one of the country’s most important mass transportation projects, which is expected to benefit hundreds of thousands of commuters traveling between Metro Manila and Cavite.
“If the Villar family was truly willing to donate the land needed for the project, the public deserves to know why the LRT-1 Cavite Extension has remained delayed for years,” Santos said.
Two weeks ago, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. directed the Department of Transportation (DOTr), headed by Acting Secretary Giovanni Lopez, to immediately resolve the right-of-way issues that have delayed the ₱64.915-billion LRT-1 Cavite Extension Project.
The President’s directive came after Santos raised concerns over the C-5 Quirino Flyover in Las Piñas City, which he said obstructs the alignment of the railway extension and has become one of the major obstacles to the project’s completion.
According to Santos, the delay stems from the failure to finalize and execute the proposed Right-of-Way Usage Agreement (ROWUA), which remains unsigned despite repeated instructions from President Marcos for the DOTr to resolve the project’s bottlenecks.
“Kung wala nang problema sa right-of-way dispute, bakit kinailangang magbigay pa ng direktiba ang Pangulo kay Acting Secretary Lopez na ayusin agad ang gusot? Mukhang may hindi pa ipinapaliwanag sa publiko,” Santos said.
Santos disclosed that officials of the DOTr, the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA), the Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC), and representatives of the Villar Group held several meetings from September 2021 until June 2025 to finalize the proposed ROWUA, yet no agreement has been concluded.
He also noted that Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez himself publicly announced months ago that the Villar Group had expressed willingness to donate the property needed for the project.
However, Santos said government officials also disclosed that the Villar Group was seeking what they described as an “undetermined compensation package” from the government, leaving the issue unresolved.
“If the land was truly being donated unconditionally, then why were discussions on compensation still taking place? The public deserves a clear explanation,” Santos said.
The unresolved right-of-way issues continue to affect Phase 2 of the ₱64.915-billion LRT-1 Cavite Extension Project, particularly the construction of the Las Piñas and Zapote stations.
Both stations are planned to be built on properties owned by the Villar family, where the C-5 Quirino Flyover constructed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) now occupies the alignment intended for the railway.
Santos has earlier proposed the demolition or modification of the flyover if necessary to pave the way for the completion of the LRT-1 Cavite Extension, stressing that the convenience of millions of commuters and the public interest must prevail over all other considerations.
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