Deputy Speaker Camille A. Villar is now serving her second term as the representative of the lone district of Las Piñas City. She is known for her advocacies on livelihood, health, women and children. She has always emphasized the importance of access to education for the youth, better opportunities for women, and stronger support for small businesses.
Rep. Camille comes from a family of public servants, starting from her maternal grandfather, Filemon Aguilar, who was a mayor of Las Piñas City. Her parents, former Senate President Manuel B. Villar and Senator Cynthia A. Villar, and her brother, Senator Mark A. Villar, have all made their mark in public service. And while it could be hard to get out of their shadows, Rep. Camille is more focused on leveraging her family’s legacy in public service so she can further push for new advocacies.
Prioritizing children’s rights
Rep. Camille, who is a mother of two, has always been an ardent champion of children and better education.
One of her proposed bills in Congress is the “Batang Magaling Act” under House Bill No. 9808. The measure aims to establish Batang Magaling Councils that will be mandated to match high school graduates with potential job opportunities.
She explained that the bill will reinforce the K to 12 program objective by ensuring that senior high school (SHS) graduates are equipped with the knowledge, training, and skills demanded in the labor market, whether they have chosen the higher education, middle-level skills development, employment, or entrepreneurship exit, thereby enhancing their employability and competitiveness in the workforce.
She is also pushing for the passage of the E-books for the Barangay Program Act under House Bill No. 9581 so that every barangay in the country will have access to free and curated digital learning resources that support the academic needs of its residents.
In line with this, Rep. Camille opened the first Kabataan Center in Las Piñas last July. The center is equipped with computers, printers, a photocopy machine and free Wi-Fi connection. It also features a meeting space where children can gather and study.
Through the Kabataan Centers, which will be established in other barangays in the city, Rep. Villar hopes to provide the city’s youth with spaces conducive to learning.
Another important legislation she filed is one that will grant tax deductions to parents and legal guardians of children and youth with special needs (CYSN).
Filed under House Bill No. 9895, the measure upholds the right of children to assistance, including proper care and nutrition, and special protection from all forms of neglect, abuse, cruelty, exploitation, and other conditions prejudicial to their development.
“Disability cannot be considered in isolation, having special needs should not be a badge for discrimination. The proposed legislation aims to provide additional tax deductions to parents or legal guardians of children and youth with special needs. This is in recognition of their contribution in nurturing the welfare and well-being of the children and youth with special needs,” explained the congresswoman.
Empowering women through livelihood
The Las Piñas solon has also filed a measure that will promote the interest of and enhance the entrepreneurial skills of Filipino women.
The proposed Women’s Business Enterprise Act under House Bill No. 9810 seeks to facilitate, preserve, and strengthen women’s business enterprises and ensure their full participation in the free enterprise system.
Early this year, Rep. Camille launched the “Pasa-Tulong” program — an adaptation of the popular movie, Pay it Forward — to encourage her constituents to pass on acts of kindness to another person.
She started with Librada Romero, a street sweeper, whom she provided with a capital to open a small sari-sari store. Romero shared part of her earnings to her daughter-in-law Elena, who opened her own softdrinks retail business. Elena then helped her sister-in-law Mary Grace to start her retail home-made dishwashing soap business. In turn, Mary Grace helped her daughter Ricka to jumpstart her own mini donut business.
Building her own legacy
All these initiatives of Rep. Camille are testaments to her strength as a leader. Her ability to connect to her constituents gives her a better understanding of their needs and she is able to come up with innovative solutions to address lingering problems.
Though she grew up in a family of public servants, Rep. Camille’s achievements show that she is very well equipped to carve her own legacy of public service.
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