Cynthia Villar's journey

I didn’t realize the full extent of Cynthia Villar’s entrepreneurial savvy until I read her printed account entitled “My Journey in the Las Piñas Arts & Crafts Industry.” I’d heard of her being the businesswoman who, with her husband, Sen. Manny Villar, built a flourishing real estate business through hard work and perseverance (sipag at tiyaga is the Villars’ working motto). But Cynthia can stand on her own as a prime developer of the town of Las Piñas through her vision that she makes sure becomes a reality.

The small volume talks about her journey to reviving salt-making, an old forgotten industry, organizing the making of lanterns (parol), weaving looms, and making money from the once pesky water hyacinths (that used to clog Las Piñas’ rivers), and from the very lowly coconut husk.

Cynthia writes in the intro she’s always liked hand-made things, and knowing that a person, rather than a machine, labored to make the product, makes that product a little bit more special. The book tells of her “journey in developing the arts and crafts industry of my city with that person who manually makes the product in mind. My desire in writing this book is not so much to instruct as to inspire.”

Her father served as La Piñas mayor for 22 years, and her husband became congressman then senator, but she made her personal foray into politics when she ran for Congress in 2001, representing the lone district of Las Piñas City. In her house-to-house campaign, she noticed that most of the women were idle, and she resolved to find things for them to do.

As it would turn out, her projects would not only benefit the women, but also the men. She found people – academicians, technocrats and financiers, including her husband – who made her ventures successful and worth replicating.

Her first project was the restoration of the salt beds, or irasan, which until the Coastal Road was built, produced primera, or first class salt, which was distributed in all the public markets of Manila. With the technical assistance of Pangasinan State University’s officials, the Bernabe Compound in Barangay Pulang Lupa was converted into the showcase salt bed that would produce 200 kilos of salt a day; this was inaugurated by Manny on Dec. 13, 2005.

A corollary project was constructed – a fish port in which Las Piñas fishermen could dock their bancas and where buyers can buy fish. The Irasan Center and the fish port, writes Cynthia, are part of Manny’s and her efforts “to preserve the heritage of Las Piñas. Manny and I strongly believe that being deeply rooted in our own history is a key element to progress.”

Another project – and a colorful one – is the revival of the parol-making industry, which was first started in Las Piñas by Arsenio Aguilar in 1949, and who, at age 84 today, helps the magpaparols, put together lanterns of various designs, shapes and colors in a barangay center. The Samahang Magpaparol ng Las Pinas, led by Violeta Santos, finds markets for the products. The parols are displayed during the Christmas season in Malacañang, public and private markets. Cynthia’s dream is a Las Piñas Parol Center where people can buy lanterns every day of the year.

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Another worthy project is the Las Piñas Handloom Weaving Center, where men and women, elderly and youths, weave blankets. There are 17 big looms, two small looms, five warping boards, and five rewinders distributed in the weaving centers in five barangays in the city. An additional weaving center will be opened at the Camella 3D Multipurpose Center. The total production capacity today is at an average of 250 blankets which are sold out – even before they are taken off the looms. The workers earn from P3000 to P4000 a month from the enterprise.

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And by the way, the white blankets, made of cotton threads, first intended as give-away blankets (instead of plastic mats) at rehabilitation centers, look and feel so good they can be used as tablecloths and furniture fabrics.

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And there’s still another great project. According to Cynthia, Las Piñas has two major river systems – the 12.6-kilometer Las Piñas River and the 18.3 kilometer Zapote River. The two are linked and share 25.1 kilometers of tributaries. From the rivers came water for plants, fish and salt for the townsfolk’s tables, waterways for transports, spots for picnic and swimming, until people treated the systems as an easy sewage and garbage facility. Squatters dropped their refuse direct into the water. “Pollution squeezed the life out of the river.”

 The clean-up and dredging activities have resulted in cleaner waters, and surprise, surprise, beautifully crafted handbags, mats, food trays, slippers, baskets, and decorative items, from the water hyacinths that used to clog the rivers.

In 2006, the Sagip Ilog program was selected by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme for Best Practice for its outstanding contribution towards improving the living improvement.

Over a period of three years, 100 men and women have been trained to create products at the basket weaving center and at the Las Piñas Arts and Crafts Center.

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And still another project – is coconut coir net-making. Coconut husks are processed so that enough fiber material is made to make nets used to rip rap the length of Las Piñas’ river banks instead of using cement and stones. The project, when highly developed, will mean a good source of income for the townsfolk. As it is there is a big demand for the net.

A by-product of the coco coir net making is coconut dust, which is mixed to produce high-quality compost that housing developers can make use of. The city government uses in its urban greening projects. It is packed in one-kilo bags for sale to those who wish to go into organic farming.

Cynthia has BS and masters degrees in business administration from the University of the Philippines and New York University, respectively. She worked as a financial analyst and college professor until she married in 1975, a former classmate at the UP, former House Speaker and later as Senate President Manny Villar. She helped her husband in various entrepreneurial ventures, eventually making C&P Homes the biggest homebuilder in the Philippines.

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Cynthia says her journey “is not likely to end anytime soon, even my term of public office ends in 2010.” By this she means that the Arts and Crafts Industry which she has aroused will continue to flourish and give life and livelihood to the people of Las Piñas.

My email: [email protected]