Sen. Cynthia Villar Loses To Las Piñas Councilor Mark Santos in Congressional Race
Las Piñas congressman-elect Mark Santos admitted that not never in his wildest dreams that he fought against Senator Cynthia Villar.
The Villars is one of the most popular and powerful families not only in business but as well as in politics. Several members of the family currently holds government positions. While their patriarch, former Senate President Manny Villar, focuses on their businesses, their matriarch, Cynthia, is on her last term as a senator.
Manuel Paolo Villar is into business while his siblings are in politics — Camille Villar is a Las Piñas district representative while Senator Mark Villar is in the upper chamber. In this 2025 Elections, Sen. Cynthia Villar and Las Piñas district Rep. Camille Villar attempted to switch positions.
However, Sen. Cynthia Villar lost to the congressional race in Las Piñas. Mark Anthony Santos, an incumbent city councilor, defeated the Villar matriarch with a huge gap in the votes they garnered. The congressman-elect garnered 108,206 votes while the Senator got only 78,526 votes.
Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, Las Piñas congressman-elect Mark Anthony Santos admitted that never in his “wildest dreams” did he think of running for an elected position against Villars. He recognized that they are a well-trenched family and they held the post for more than three (3) decades now.
“If you can imagine pinakamayaman, number 1 sa Forbes list… It’s a historical record sa Las Piñas, since 1992 nasa Villar ang mga congress representatives namin dito,” he said.
Meanwhile, Santos stressed that he remained grounded and just responded to the call of the people for change. Before his election win, he served as a city councilor and an ally of the Aguilars which are also related to the Villars. Based on the report, he attributed his victory in the congressional race in his being an “independent” candidate.
According to the Las Piñas district congressman-elect, he wants to push for socialized housing in the Congress. He is hopeful that his election victory will inspire many people who are qualified but are not confident enough to run in the election.
“Maraming qualified na magagaling na tao. Pero dahil sa situation, political landscape, talagang wala eh, never given a chance. I hope sa susunod na eleksyon, pero alam mo, ano to kumbaga nagising na mga tao,” he said.
Mark Anthony Santos offered his hand to the Villars and expressed his hope that the family will continue to help the district. Previously, Sen. Cynthia Villar conceded defeat but assured the Las Piñeros that her service does not end here.