Villar vows to run DPWH with integrity, competence
Incoming public works secretary Mark Villar vowed yesterday to run the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) with integrity and competence, even as he downplayed criticism about possible conflict of interest that may arise when he assumes his post.
Villar, who won his third term as representative of the lone congressional district of Las Piñas, was named last week by incoming president Rodrigo Duterte to head the DPWH.
His appointment was met with criticisms, as his father – former Senate president Manny Villar – is a real estate magnate.
Meanwhile, incoming energy secretary Alfonso Cusi vowed to provide reliable, steady and affordable power supply in the next six years of the Duterte administration.
Cusi, former general manager of the Manila International Airport Authority, was chosen by Duterte to head the energy department amid the problematic power supply plaguing the country, particularly in Mindanao.
Mindanao, a largely hydroelectric power-dependent island, has been suffering from insufficient power supply causing rotational blackouts.
Power interruption of up to six to eight hours have been affecting the region due to low water levels in the Pulangi River in Bukidnon and Lake Lanao in Marawi, two of the island’s main sources of hydroelectric power.
Villar was former president of Crown Asia Corp., one of the family-owned real estate firms.
“Accepting the DPWH portfolio represents a huge sacrifice for my family,” Villar said, adding he takes the criticisms in stride and as a challenge to show them the value of hard work, honesty and perseverance that his parents instilled in him and his siblings.
He said Vista Land had expressed interest in participating in DPWH public biddings for several projects, including those under the Public-Private Partnership program.
Cusi, who also served as chief of the Philippine Ports Authority and Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines under the Arroyo administration, is reportedly the vice president of the Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino-Laban ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), Duterte’s main political party.
He said he would do his best to help the Duterte administration achieve electrification for the entire country.
“I will strive to help ensure reliable, steady and affordable power supply and work toward greater energy self-sufficiency in the next six years,” Cusi said.
Villar said the DPWH may be the largest source of bigticket contracts among agencies in the executive branch, but it is also perceived to be among the most corrupt.
He is aware that at 37, he could be not only the youngest member of the Duterte Cabinet, but also the most scrutinized official.
He said appointing incumbent lawmakers to the Cabinet is nothing new. The late President Corazon Aquino appointed the late Vice President Teofisto Guingona as her executive secretary.
Former presidents Fidel Ramos, Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as well as President Aquino had made similar appointments.
Villar was chairman of the committee on trade and industry and vice chairman of the committees on overseas workers affairs, science and technology, and labor and employment in Congress.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in Economics, Political Science and Philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania and obtained his master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Chicago Booth School.