Senator Mark A. Villar



Senator Mark A. Villar served as the Secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for five (5) strong years under the Duterte Administration.

As the head of DPWH, Senator Mark was able to institute numerous changes which led to the timely completion, rehabilitation, and improvement of quality infrastructure all over the Philippines. He played a prominent role in realizing the “Golden Age of Infrastructure” through the “Build, Build, Build” Program, which generated Over six (6) million jobs from 2016 to 2021.

He has led reforms in policies and strategies in the DPWH. One of which is the addressing of Road Right of Way issues, which is one of the main reasons for project delays. He issued numerous important Department Orders, which includes: the Blacklisting of contractors; the Strict Application of the Procurement Law (R.A. No. 9184) in the Conduct of Post Qualification of Bidders with Delayed Ongoing Contracts; the Electronic Submission and Receipt of Bids for the Procurement of Civil Works Contracts; and the Geotagging of DPWH Civil Works Projects, among other issuances.

He relentlessly pursued the completion of projects under the Luzon Spine Expressway Network Program, the Mindanao Logistics Network, the “Tatag ng Imprastaktura para sa Kapayapaan at Seguridad” (TIKAS) Program, the Tourism Road Infrastructure Program (TRIP), the Roads Leveraging Linkages for Industry and Trade (ROLL-IT) Program, the “Kalsada Tungo sa Paliparan, Riles, at Daungan” (KATUPARAN) Program, the Agri- Infrastructure Support Program, and many other priority projects. Further, at the onset of the pandemic, he was instrumental in the building of seven hundred thirty (730) operational facilities with twenty-seven thousand three hundred two (27,302)-bed capacities.

Back in 2010, he was elected as Representative for the Lone District of Las Piñas and served as Congressman until 2016, when he was appointed by President Duterte as DPWH Secretary. Prior to being a public servant, he served for eight (8) years as the General Manager of Crown Asia Corporation.

In the 19th Congress, he chairs Senate Committee on Trade, commerce, and entrepreneurship and Committee on Banks, Financial Institutions, and Currencies.

He finished his Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science, Philosophy, and Economics at the University of Pennsylvania and his Master’s Degree in Business Administration at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

He is married to former Congresswoman and former Undersecretary of the Department of Justice, Atty Emmeline Aglipay-Villar, and has a daughter Emma.

A man of action, the hardworking, and resilient, Senator Mark A. Villar.

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19th Congress Senators