LAS Piñas Lone District Rep. Mark Anthony Santos yesterday called on Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez to immediately verify whether the property reportedly being offered by the Villar family for donation to the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) Cavite Extension Project has a clean and unencumbered title before the government accepts it.
Santos said the Department of Transportation (DOTr) must conduct a thorough legal and technical review of the property to ensure that it is free from mortgages, liens, adverse claims, or any other encumbrances that could further delay the long-stalled railway project.
“The DOTr must exercise due diligence. Before accepting any donated property, it should first determine whether the title is clean and free from any legal or financial encumbrances that could create additional problems for the government,” Santos said.
He stressed that the government should not rely solely on public pronouncements but must require complete documentary proof to protect taxpayers and ensure the timely completion of the ₱64.915-billion LRT-1 Cavite Extension Project.
“If the Villar family is truly donating the land, then the public deserves full transparency—not only on the existence of a deed of donation or memorandum of agreement, but also on the legal status of the property itself,” Santos said.
The lawmaker added that any property to be acquired by the government, whether through donation or any other mode of transfer, must have a clean and readily transferable title to avoid further right-of-way complications.
“The objective is simple: ensure that the government receives a property with a clean title so the project can finally move forward without any legal obstacles,” Santos said.
Santos noted that properties along the Alabang–Zapote Road/C-5 Extension corridor, where the proposed Las Piñas LRT-1 Station will be located, are among the most valuable in the city, with prevailing commercial market prices ranging from ₱80,000 to more than ₱150,000 per square meter, depending on the exact location and characteristics of the property.
He said that based on the size of comparable elevated LRT-1 stations in Metro Manila, the proposed station and its associated facilities—including access roads, station entrances, utilities, and the required right-of-way—could require approximately 1.5 to 3 hectares of land.
“Using current market values, a one-hectare property (10,000 square meters) in the area could be worth approximately ₱800 million at ₱80,000 per square meter, around ₱1.06 billion at ₱106,000 per square meter, and as much as ₱1.5 billion at ₱150,000 per square meter,” Santos said.
“If the Villar family is indeed donating property of this magnitude to the government, then there should be no reason to withhold the deed of donation, proof of ownership, or other documents showing that the title is clean, transferable, and free from any encumbrances. Full transparency is the only way to remove all doubts and allow the project to finally move forward,” he added.
The Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) previously committed to completing the entire stretch of the LRT-1 Cavite Extension before the end of the Marcos administration’s term in 2028.
Phase 1 of the extension project connects Baclaran Station in Pasay City to Dr. Santos Station in Parañaque City via five operational stations: Redemptorist-ASEANA, MIA Road, PITX, Ninoy Aquino Avenue, and Dr. Santos.
However, the remaining Cavite leg (Phases 2 and 3) covers the last three stations yet to be constructed–Las Piñas, Zapote, and Niog because of the promises of the Villar family to donate the land six years ago.
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