“This isn’t just campaign drama; it’s a test of Philippine democracy against oligarchic might”
THE Batangas rally on May 3, 2025, crackled with energy – flags fluttering, drums pulsing, Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas banners ablaze.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. seized the stage, rallying the crowd with visions of unity. But as he listed his Senate bets, a hush fell: Camille Villar’s name was missing.
For the first time, Marcos skipped the Las Piñas representative, her face erased from the stage backdrop.
The crowd murmured, sensing a rift. Was this a calculated snub? A coalition crumbling? Or the opening shot in a dynastic war?
This wasn’t a misstep. Timed with Marcos’ probe into PrimeWater Infrastructure Corp., the Villar family’s water utility, the omission signals a seismic shift.
The Marcos and Villar dynasties—once allies in power and profit—now face a public fracture. This isn’t just campaign drama; it’s a test of Philippine democracy against oligarchic might.
Surgical strike
Marcos’ silence was no accident. He had championed Villar at every Alyansa rally, her name a fixture even in her absence.
Yet in Batangas, she was erased—name unspoken, photos gone. The timing ties to the PrimeWater probe, launched days earlier amid complaints of dry taps and high bills.
The Villars’ utility empire, serving 1.7 million households, is now a political liability. By omitting Villar, Marcos may be warning the Nacionalista Party-led family that no dynasty is untouchable.
Or is he realigning? Once an NP member, Marcos may be distancing himself from a clan whose clout rivals his own.
Loyalties waver
The Alyansa, forged in 2024, unites Marcos’ Partido Federal and the Villars’ NP. But cracks are showing. Villar’s outreach to Vice President Sara Duterte, whose rift with Marcos is public, exposes the alliance’s fragility.
Photos of Villar with Duterte, reported by Philstar on April 14, 2025, suggest she’s courting Duterte’s Mindanao base.
Rappler’s April 25, 2025, leaks reveal tensions: Villar’s absence from Alyansa sorties fueled whispers of disloyalty. “She’s playing both sides,” an insider said. Campaign manager Toby Tiangco insists Villar stays, but the Batangas snub tells another story.
Dynasty showdown
The Marcos-Villar rift is a clash of titans. Allies since Manny Villar’s 2010 presidential run, their shared interests—land, influence—now breed rivalry.
The PrimeWater probe, targeting a Villar cash cow, feels like Marcos asserting dominance. This reflects a deeper rot: dynasties dominate, with 80 percent of officials from political clans, per Rappler’s 2024 analysis.
Voters are split—60 percent resent dynastic rule, per Pulse Asia 2025, yet name recognition wins. In Bulacan, where PrimeWater fails families like the Santoses, anger grows, but loyalty to familiar names persists.
Can Villar’s billions save her?
Villar’s Senate bid falters, with polls ranking her 10th to 14th, support at 29 percent in March 2025, per Rappler.
Her P1-billion ad blitz, per PCIJ, ensures visibility, but Marcos’ snub stings. His endorsement was key; without it, her campaign could stall. Her dual strategy—sticking with Alyansa while wooing Duterte’s base—is pragmatic but desperate.
Duterte’s 96 percent Mindanao approval could help, but risks alienating Marcos’ Luzon voters. Her wealth may not outrun the damage.
PrimeWater’s fall
PrimeWater is Villar’s Achilles’ heel. In Bulacan, families like the Santoses haul water buckets, per The Tribune, May 1, 2025.
Complaints of outages and steep rates spurred Marcos’ probe—a reformist move or political hit?
The timing suggests vengeance, weakening Villar’s campaign while boosting Marcos’ image. Yet it exposes the oligarchic ties binding both dynasties, a mirror democracy may shun.
Democracy’s reckoning
The Batangas silence is a crack in the Alyansa, a flare in the dynasty wars, and a warning: power remains a family affair.
Villar’s billions may salvage her bid, but the Villar empire is under fire. Marcos’ snub, tied to PrimeWater and coalition fractures, reveals shaky alliances.
If he can discard Villar, who’s next? Can Philippine democracy, caught in this dynastic crossfire, rise above the names that bind it?
