Why not Vista Land?

CLUP NOW STATEMENT

May 31, 2018

In the  Commission on Appointments hearing last May 29, farmer leader Elvie Baladad called into question the alleged illegal conversion of Vista Land & Lifescapes, Incorporated of agricultural lands for real estate development. According to an article in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, “the mere mention of the company did not sit well with Villar.”

Villar questioned Baladad for targeting her family’s business, stating “Bakit ba lahat ng projects ng Vista Land? Ang dami-daming nagtayo ng bahay sa Pilipinas, dami-daming nagtayo ng industries sa Pilipinas, dami-daming nagtayo ng commercial buildings sa Pilipinas, bakit ba binabanggit mo puro Vista Land? Galit ka ba sa akin? Is this a political issue or a legitimate issue?”

(Why are you singling out Vista Land? There are other developers which have built houses in the Philippines, set up industries in the Philippines, and constructed commercial buildings in the Philippines, why are you citing just Vista Land? Are you mad at me? Is this a political issue or a legitimate issue?)

To this, the Campaign for Land Use Policy Now (CLUP Now) network says: WHY NOT.

As a senator of the Philippines, you, Senator Villar, should not have conflicts of interest within your work as public official. According to the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees (RA 6713), "conflict of interest" occurs when a public official or employee is a member of a board, an officer, or a substantial stockholder of a private corporation or owner or has a substantial interest in a business, and the interest of such corporation or business, or his rights or duties therein, may be opposed to or affected by the faithful performance of official duty.” The RA also states that public officials “shall avoid conflicts of interest AT ALL TIMES.”

When you, Sen. Villar, confronted Ka Elvie, you reveal to the public what we knew all along – that you were more keen to preserve your family’s business interest above all else. Your attempts at deflecting a legitimate issue by stating that there are other developers doing the same thing prove futile.

The Filipino people are on to you, Senator Cynthia Villar.

You imply that we’re singling you out of the multitude of developers in the country, as if you’re a political target. Lest you forget, while you hold a position that gives you the power to protect the environment and prime agricultural lands, it also gives you the power to withhold such protection. No other developer in the country has that power. No other developer has publicly sworn to prioritize the interest of the Filipinos above all else. So yes, why not Vista Land?

As the current chairperson of the Senate Committees on Agriculture and Food, Agrarian Reform, and Environment and Natural Resources, you are mandated to protect the environment and prime agricultural lands from the impacts of developments including that of Vista Land projects.

This is not the first time that Vista Land was accused of converting prime agricultural lands into real estate projects. A previous case in 2014, in Plaridel, Bulacan, farmers were protesting Vista Land’s development of Lumina Homes. In this case, irrigated rice lands were converted into a subdivision. Farmers protested that the irrigation system they depended on was blocked by Lumina Homes and will deplete other farms of water supply.

In the senate, your refusal to hear key legislations like the National Land Use Act shows that you value your family’s business interests over your duty as a legislator.

The proposed National Land Use Act aims to rationalize holistic, just allocation, and use of the country’s land and water resources, including real estate developments for human settlements, by institutionalizing land use and physical planning for proper management of resources. Your business won’t be deprived of space, Senator Villar. They will only be placed where they can best operate without compromising the use of lands more fit for agriculture and environmental conservation.

This important piece of legislation has been under the auspices of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources since July 2016. The House of Representatives already passed House Bill No. 5240 on May 2, 2017 and was transmitted to the senate a week after. No less than the Chief Executive of our country, President Rodrigo Duterte, has called for its passage in his State of the Nation Address in July 2017 and it has consistently been in the priority legislative agenda of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC). Despite these, you, Senator Villar has made no concrete action to convene the Committee on Environment and Natural Resource to discuss the bill.

We call on you, Senator Cynthia Aguilar Villar, to do your sworn duty to legislate meaningful and important laws like the NLUA. If you can’t, please make way for someone who can.

(By Caryl Pillora)