Sen. Villar's fight against poverty

MANILA, Philippines - The Villar Foundation has launched two projects as part of its commitment to empower the poor and the underprivileged to help them become productive members of society.

Nacionalista Party chair and Villar Foundation founding chairman, Sen. Manny Villar, and former Las Piñas Rep. and managing director, Cynthia Villar, led the groundbreaking ceremonies in Las Piñas City to signal the construction of the Villar Social Institute for Poverty Alleviation and Governance (SIPAG) Center and the Santuario de San Ezekiel Moreno.

“These projects are part of our continuing advocacy to improve the lives of the Filipino people by providing opportunities that will help them rise beyond their limitations,” said Sen. Villar.

The Villar SIPAG Center in Las Piñas City, which will be completed by next year, will house a library/resource center for poverty reduction, a reception hall, a theater, an exhibit hall and Villar memorabilia hall.

“It will be a working, proactive center where we will guide, train, teach and empower womenfolk, the youth, jobless and even relatives of overseas Filipinos workers (OFWs) to persevere in life,” Mrs. Villar said. “We will conduct regular seminars and training sessions at the Villar SIPAG Center. We hope to increase the number of participants and beneficiaries in our ongoing livelihood skills programs, which we have been doing for over a decade.”

The Villar SIPAG Center’s Resource Center will feature an array of reference materials on poverty reduction, livelihood generation, and entrepreneurship. It will be helpful to students, scholars, policymakers, journalists and others. The Exhibit Hall will feature the memorabilia of Sen. Villar and other relevant exhibits.

The construction of Santuario de San Ezekiel Moreno in Barangay Pulanglupa is the result of the foundation’s partnership with various religious organizations and institutions to provide more focus to its outreach efforts. The 700-seater church, which will feature architectural elements inspired by the Spanish colonial period, will add attraction to the Las Piñas Historical Corridor which has been a source of livelihood for residents with the steady flow of local and international tourists.

Since its inception in 1995, Villar Foundation has initiated, implemented and supported various projects aimed at improving the quality of life of the people. The foundation’s programs include regular feeding programs for schoolchildren; medical and dental mission; river rehabilitation program; religious projects such as building of churches; repatriation of distressed OFWs; livelihood and entrepreneurship.

Recently, the foundation’s groundbreaking initiative, the Las Piñas-Zapote River System Rehabilitation program, bested 38 other countries for the United Nation’s Water for Life Best Practices award. The program bagged the UN award for its success in rehabilitating the once-dead river and improving the living conditions of the residents along the riverbanks.