Marcos, Villar hit ‘hesitancy’ to vaccinate essential workers vs COVID-19
MANILA, Philippines — Giving judges and court workers COVID-19 vaccines to speed up the hearing of cases further delayed by the pandemic has crossed the mind of Senator Cynthia Villar. Joining Villar...
View ArticleAfter verbal tussle, Villar says sorry to Sotto
MANILA, Philippines—Emotions ran high between Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III and Senator Cynthia Villar on Thursday over what the latter called a seeming “special attention” being paid to...
View ArticleDistribute coco levy fund now – Cynthia Villar
MANILA, Philippines— On the eve of the farmers’ registration deadline, Senator Cynthia urged the government to start implementing the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act even if the list of...
View ArticleFirst batch of COVID-19 jabs for private sector to arrive June 17 – Galvez
MANILA, Philippines— The initial batch of COVID-19 vaccines for the private sector will arrive this Thursday, June 17, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. told senators on Tuesday. During the hearing of...
View ArticleDie of COVID-19 or hunger? Villar urges LGUs to invest on agriculture
MANILA, Philippines— People may die not because of COVID-19 but because of hunger if local government units (LGUs) would not pay attention to agriculture, Senator Cynthia Villar said on Wednesday....
View ArticleVillar, Drilon to gov’t agencies: Why are you so in love with PITC?
MANILA, Philippines— “Why are you so in love with PITC?” Senator Cynthia Villar raised this question on Monday as the Senate committee on finance deliberated on the proposed 2022 budget of the...
View ArticleNo fish hatchery after 5 years? Villar hits BFAR underperformance
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Cynthia Villar on Friday fumed over the P17-billion budget proposal of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) next year. Villar lamented that Congress has...
View ArticleDuterte apologizes for failed antigen tests on lawmakers
MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte apologized to Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Thursday over a “ruckus” after half of the COVID-19 antigen tests administered to him and other VIP...
View ArticleFish imports OK’d despite council’s plea, Senate learns
Senators on Thursday questioned the move of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to insist on their plan to import some 60 million kilos of fish...
View ArticleSotto, Villar question ‘zero conviction’ of suspected smugglers
MANILA, Philippines — Since 2016, why has there been no accused smuggler convicted and imprisoned? Both Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Sen. Cynthia Villar wondered about that on Tuesday as the...
View ArticleSenate probe names 4 agri alleged smugglers
MANILA, Philippines — Senators on Tuesday revealed the names of four alleged big-time smugglers of agricultural products, but they failed in pressuring agriculture officials to disclose the names of...
View ArticleCA defers confirmation of Comelec, COA, CSC officials
MANILA, Philippines — The congressional Commission on Appointments (CA) has postponed the confirmation hearing for five commissioners of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), the Commission on Audit...
View Article‘Wala ng SP race’; Villar backs Zubiri’s Senate presidency bid
MANILA, Philippines— “Wala ng SP (Senate President) race.” Senator Cynthia Villar herself declared this on Wednesday as she threw her support behind Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, who is...
View ArticlePanel lets Bongbong Marcos fill key posts in Comelec, COA, CSC
MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Appointments (CA) has decided to give President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. a free hand in appointing his own officials by bypassing the confirmation of five...
View ArticleZubiri set to head Senate; Villar drops ‘term-share’
MANILA, Philippines Barring last-minute surprises, Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri will lead the Senate in the 19th Congress, with his main rival Sen. Cynthia Villar failing to muster the numbers...
View ArticleCynthia Villar files priority bills on agriculture, environment, MSMEs
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Cynthia Villar has filed her priority bills for the 19th Congress, with most of them centered on spurring the country’s agricultural growth, conserving the environment,...
View ArticleSenate elects first batch of committee chairmanships for 19th Congress
MANILA, Philippines — It was a smooth-sailing election for the first batch of Senate committee chairmanships during the first regular session of the upper chamber on Tuesday. With newly-installed...
View ArticleVillar urges public to eat vegetables as food crisis looms
MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos may survive the imminent food crisis if they eat vegetables. That was the suggestion of Senator Cynthia Villar, who again pushed for vegetable gardening when asked...
View ArticleCynthia Villar contracts COVID-19
UPDATED MANILA, Philippines — Senator Cynthia Villar has been infected with COVID-19, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri announced on Tuesday. “We just like to put on record that our distinguished...
View ArticleCynthia Villar questions planned socialized housing in Las Piñas: ‘Ang...
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Cynthia Villar on Wednesday questioned the planned socialized housing in Las Piñas City, where land, according to her, has already become costly. During a hearing of the...
View ArticleSenators scold agri officials over unspent, misspent funds
MANILA, Philippines — Agriculture officials received a tongue-lashing from senators on Thursday for their failure to spend funds allotted for their agencies and for improper spending that deprived...
View ArticleVillar fumes over DENR issuance of ECC for reclamation project in Manila Bay
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Cynthia Villar on Tuesday fumed upon learning that there are several reclamation projects along Manila Bay, which she said, could submerge two million households in...
View ArticleDENR gets scolding for reclamation projects
MANILA, Philippines — Senators on Tuesday castigated the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for approving 21 proposed reclamation projects on Manila Bay despite the environmental...
View ArticleDA’s massive budget for programs stumps Villar: ‘Parang naghimala’
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Cynthia Villar was in disbelief that the bulk or 80 percent of the proposed 2023 Department of Agriculture (DA) budget would go to the agency’s programs. “Parang mali’...
View ArticleNIA, DAR 2023 budgets hurdle Senate sub-panel level; up for plenary debates
MANILA, Philippines — The 2023 budgets of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) and the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) are now up for Senate plenary deliberations. Senator Cynthia Villar,...
View ArticleVillar irked by rubber research exec for confusion over data
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Cynthia Villar was irked on Wednesday by the officer in charge of the Philippine Rubber Research Institute (PRRI) for ignorance of rubber production data in the Philippines....
View ArticleDENR chief seeks congressional probe of ‘complex’ Masungi issue
MANILA, Philippines – Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga wants Congress to conduct an inquiry into the complexities hounding the Masungi Georeserve in Rizal province. Loyzaga made the...
View ArticleTulfo, Villar clash over farmlands conversion into subdivisions, commercial...
MANILA, Philippines — Senators Raffy Tulfo and Cynthia Villar have engaged in a heated exchange about the conversion of farmlands into residential or commercial areas during plenary deliberations on...
View ArticleVillar, Tulfo spar on land conversion
A heated exchange between Sen. Raffy Tulfo and Sen. Cynthia Villar on the conversion of farmlands to residential areas marked the deliberations on the proposed budget of the Department of Agriculture...
View ArticleVillar claims only poor LGUs into dairy: ‘Ako lang ang nasa city na...
MANILA, Philippines — Only poor local government units (LGUs) are interested in dairy, according to Senator Cynthia Villar. In a hearing of the Senate committee on agriculture, food, and agrarian...
View ArticleVillar fumes as exec says animal industry bureau has no ‘direct control’ over...
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Cynthia Villar’s temper flared during a public hearing after an official said the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) has no “direct control” over the country’s livestock...
View ArticleDepartment of ‘Importation’? Cynthia Villar flags DA’s importation policy anew
MANILA, Philippines — Given its importation records, it is no surprise for Senator Cynthia Villar that the Department of Agriculture is being called the “Department of Importation.” During the hearing...
View Article‘Huwag na lang tayong kumain ng onion’: Villar chides FTI execs over onion...
MANILA, Philippiens — “Huwag na lang tayong kumain ng onion,” an exasperated Senator Cynthia Villar said Monday during a Senate hearing on the soaring prices of onions in the country. Presiding over...
View ArticleImee Marcos hits absent Customs head: ‘Galangin naman ng konti yung Senado’
MANILA, Philippines — Give the Senate a little respect, Senator Imee Marcos told the Bureau of Customs (BoC) as its head was a no-show at a Senate hearing on Monday. During the Senate committee on...
View ArticleCynthia Villar snipes at salt iodization law: ‘Pinatay nito ang salt industry’
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Cynthia Villar on Wednesday criticized the Act for Salt Iodization Nationwide (Asin) law, blaming it for the supposed death of the country’s salt industry. During the...
View ArticleSalt industry in crisis: Villar fuming over DENR exec invoking Land Use Act
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Cynthia Villar’s feathers were ruffled on Wednesday when a DENR official cited the Land Use Act in response to her query about the decreasing salt production in the...
View ArticleWhy require use of iodized salt? ‘Uminom ka ng gamot,’ says Cynthia Villar
MANILA, Philippines—After learning that iodine addition to salt is not mandated in other nations, at least two senators are considering voting to scrap the necessity for iodized salt in locally...
View ArticleCynthia Villar: Next Agriculture secretary must have ‘heart for small farmers’
MANILA, Philippines — The secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA) must have a heart for small farmers, Senator Cynthia Villar said on Tuesday. Until now, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos...
View ArticleCynthia Villar on son being given UP honorary degree: Moral of the story,...
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Cynthia Villar on Wednesday defended the University of the Philippines’ (UP) plan to confer an honorary degree to her son and fellow senator Mark Villar, noting that he...
View ArticleCynthia Villar jubilant as Senate hearing concludes harmoniously
MANILA, Philippines — Far from the typical squabbling during congressional hearings, the Senate committee on the environment headed by Senator Cynthia Villar had a surprisingly emotional end with the...
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