VILLEGAS RECEIVES GAWAD PLARIDEL AWARD FOR ANTI-CRIME WORK
Lawyer Jose Malvar Villegas Jr., founder and chairman emeritus of the Citizens Crime Watch and grandson of national hero Gen. Miguel Malvar, will receive the Gawad Plaridel Award on October 27 at the Marcelo H. del Pilar Shrine in San Nicolas, Bulacan. The Manananggol ng Bayan Award, given by the Association of Philippine Journalist founded by the late journalist Max Soliven, recognizes Villegas’ efforts in defending the rights and privileges of the poor. Villegas’ co-worker, lawyer Pete Principe, chief legal counsel of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption, will also be given the same award. Both Villegas and Principe led private prosecutors in many heinous crime cases, resulting in the sentencing to death of 42 convicts. Among these were the Vizconde massacre, Angel Alquisa rape-murder, Ongpin kidnapping-murder, Elsa Payumo and Grace Coloma killings. The two lawyers also collaborated as private prosecutors in the Maguindanao and Mamasapano massacres, Dengvaxia and pork barrel scam cases. Villegas is an alumnus of the Ateneo Law School who, in his student days, was president of the Ateneo St. Thomas More Debating and Oratorical Society.
He is also chairman of the Katipunan Kontra Krimen, a coalition of 25 anti-crime and anti-corruption organizations, which recently exposed various investment scams that have victimized small Filipino investors. Villegas and Principe have conducted para-legal seminars nationwide to train volunteers and help ordinary folk, especially those in far-flung areas, defend their rights.