Cynthia Villar attends Masbate's Rodeo Fest

Misis Cynthia Villar chats with Masbateños

Former Las Piñas Congresswoman and Team PNoy senatorial aspirant Misis Cynthia Villar celebrates with the Masbateños on their yearly Rodeo Festival. Riding in a Calesa, Mrs. Villar, who was the guest of honor, paraded around the city with Masbate Gov. Rizalina “Dayan” Lanete.

Masbate City is proud of the Rodeo Masbateño Festival, an annual event that showcases skills in livestock handling. Rodeo games include cattle wrestling, casting, carambola, lassoing, and bull-riding. One of the highlights of this year’s celebration is the first ever bullriding event in the country for women. Fair and exhibitions, and trade of cattle and horses are also part of the festivity.

The province of Masbate started the festival way back in the summer of 1993. At present, Masbate is considered as the “Cattle Country of the Philippines.”

Misis Villar elated over inclusion of LPPCHEA on Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance

Former Las Piñas Representative Cynthia Villar said she is happy that the Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area (LPPCHEA) is included on the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.

“The inclusion of LPPCHEA on the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance is very good news indeed. We should be proud of the recognition, and at the same time, we are encouraged even more to protect it," said Villar.

LPPCHEA is the sixth Philippine site designated as ‘Wetlands of International Importance’, it was included on the list on March 15. 

The others on the list are: the Tubbataha Reefs National Marine Park in Sulu (listed on December 11, 1999); the Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary (listed on December 11, 1999); the Naujan Lake National Park in Oriental Mindoro (listed on December 11, 1999); the Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary in Cebu (listed on January 7, 1994); and the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park in Palawan (listed on June 30, 2012).

The Philippines joined the Ramsar Convention in 1994. Signatories to join the Convention agree to "include wetland conservation considerations in their national land-use planning," and commit to implement and promote "the wise use of wetlands in their territory."

The Convention on Wetlands—signed in Ramsar, Iran on 1971— is an intergovernmental treaty that embodies the commitments of its member countries to maintain the ecological character of their Wetlands of International Importance and to plan for the "wise use", or sustainable use, of all of the wetlands in their territories

"The international treaty organization has recognized LPPCHEA’s global importance to biodiversity and the need to give it special protection from various threats. LPPCHEA is the so-called 'last bastion' in Metro Manila and faces various threats" said Villar.

Ramcar Convention cited on its website that LPPCHEA “faces threats” such as “ongoing land reclamation projects and mangrove cutting”, and “waste from nearby cities (that) accumulates along the coast”

Despite being  declared as a critical habitat in 2007 by Proclamation No. 1412, there are existing plans to reclaim the area.

Villar is very vocal about her opposition on the planned 635.14-hectare Manila Bay reclamation project that will also affect LPPCHEA. She filed a petition for Writ of Kalikasan on March 16 against the said project, which the Supreme Court granted on April 10 last year. The writ of kalikasan was issued but not a temporary environmental protection order or TEPO—without a TEPO, the contractor can still proceed with the projects.

A series of hearings, which wrapped up only a few weeks ago, was held at the Court of Appeals. Villar herself took the court stand on October 12 as petitioner and witness. Villar’s group is aiming for the issuance of a permanent environmental protection order, so that the reclamation project will be junked altogether.  

“I have repeatedly talked about the catastrophic effects that the proposed Manila Bay reclamation project will bring about—including the damage to the bird sanctuary as well as to the mangrove forest and marine habitat. The worst of which, is that it will cause severe flooding in 37 barangays in Bacoor, 11 in Paranaque and 17 in Las Piñas. Floods with a depth of as much as 5.12 meters or equivalent to a two-storey high building,” cited Villar.

LPPCHEA serves as a sanctuary to migratory bird species from as far as Siberia. According to the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines, Metro Manila has 150 species of birds, 72 of which are found at LPPCHEA. It is the only bird sanctuary located in an urban setting, thus it is considered as the ‘last bastion’.

Pahimis Festival's Ceremonial Toast

 Villar Foundation Managing Director and Misis Hanepbuhay Cynthia Villar, together with Cavite Sixth District Congressman Antonio Ferrer, General Trias Mayor Jonjon Ferrer, Amadeo Mayor Benjarde Villanueva and PCSO Dir. Aleta Tolentino, leads the ceremonial coffee toast during the Pahimis Coffee Festival in Amadeo, Cavite. The festival is a thanksgiving for the bountiful coffee harvest of the Amadeans.




The Pahimis Festival has been a gesture of giving thanks to God and nature for good harvest for the whole year round. Coffee is the major crop of Amadeo, which is why the town is known as the Coffee Capital of the Philippines.

In Amadeo, Pahimis means thanksgiving. Pahimis is a coffee festival of thanksgiving which also intends to promote the town’s coffee industry and gain support to local coffee growers.
The townsmen have coined Pahimis festival in order to celebrate the good harvest and other blessings in their life.

Pahimis festival is known all over the Philippines and for this reason, many known national public servant like Cynthia Villar, the Managing Director of Villar Foundation, and other local politicians have paid time visiting the annual event.

According to Misis Hanepbuhay, the Pahimis festival was first launched in 2002 and has now become a culture and a tradition of the people of Amadeo in which she wanted to help in reviving the dying industry.

Amadeo has remained agricultural land despite its neighboring towns and cities have been converting its lands to either residential or industrial land.

She also commended Amadeo since their festival is united with eco-awareness, just like their livelihood programs in Las Piñas. Apart from keeping the environment clean and protected, livelihood programs for the residents were provided.

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