[Rappler’s Best] Ah, the Villars

Who would have thought it could come to this? Practically 20 years in the past, the presidency was inside Manny Villar’s grasp.

It’s February, simply the second month of the 12 months. However it’s been rather a lot — right here and elsewhere (hi there, America) — that the 12 months of the Horse appears to be actually galloping its approach into our lives.

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Now who would have thought it could come to this? Practically 20 years in the past, the presidency was inside Manny Villar’s grasp till the son of Cory Aquino got here from behind following her loss of life — a grieving and grateful nation selecting him over the enterprise tycoon and his vaunted machine.

Whereas that defeat closed the doorways on the Villar patriarch, it opened the gates to his spouse Cynthia, his son Mark, and his daughter Camille, who — one after the other — ran and received senatorial seats. Two of the Villar youngsters are senators as we speak.

But additionally as we speak, all of them, plus one other son Paolo, face a prison grievance from the Securities and Trade Fee (SEC) over accusations of deceiving the investing public by alleged insider buying and selling, manipulating the inventory market, and making deceptive disclosures about Villar Land Holdings Company, which is publicly listed.

• To recall, we uncovered Villar Land’s “astonishing story” virtually a 12 months in the past. Val Villanueva known as its declared internet earnings a trillion-peso mirage. The truth is, 2025 rattled the Villars’ enterprise and political fortunes (they received defeated of their bailiwick and Camille narrowly made it to the Magic 12 within the Senate). Watch Dwight de Leon’s recap of the previous 12 months for the Villars.
• The SEC grievance towards Villar Land earlier than the justice division additionally alleges that two of its associated firms engaged in buying and selling actions that artificially supported the worth of Villar Land’s shares.
• In November, the SEC confirmed that the appraisal that underpinned Villar’s “paper empire” was inflated and didn’t adjust to worldwide requirements. 
• Val writes that the implications of the SEC grievance transcend the Villars’ inventory. It’s a “defining take a look at” of whether or not or not regulators can maintain large enterprise to account — regardless of their energy and connections. Learn extra about it on this Vantage Level piece.

And we’re not even speaking about PrimeWater right here.

It’s the feudal, rent-seeking nature of our financial system that’s weighing it down. The mind-boggling flood management scandal final 12 months additional slowed down our progress, hitting 4.4% by yearend — the bottom GDP progress in 14 years (to exclude the pandemic years). Corruption has been a key issue, writes JC Punongbayan, including that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. goes to “bequeath an financial system that’s almost grinding to a halt.” 

Former funds secretary Butch Abad weighs in on one facet: the foreign-assisted tasks that, for 4 years, have been defunded. What’s the consequence? Abad spells it out on this piece: “Idle loans. Delayed infrastructure. Rising prices. Missed jobs. And communities left uncovered to floods, congestion, excessive costs — whereas public cash flowed elsewhere.”

Marcos can’t afford to underestimate the challenges forward. An enormous protest rally is being deliberate on February 25, the fortieth anniversary of the EDSA Folks Energy Revolution that ousted his dictator-father. 

Satirically, it’s the state of the financial system which will additionally assist him survive the turbulence. “The decisive purpose revolt has fallen out of style is just not political fatigue or civic apathy,” writes Val Villanueva. “It’s financial actuality.” Learn extra.

Listed here are a few of Rappler’s bests that you simply shouldn’t miss:

Dwight de Leon offers us a actuality verify in regards to the feasibility of a legislation towards political dynasties.

Val Villanueva exposes the one large vulnerability of the Growth Financial institution of the Philippines within the type of non-performing loans.

John Nery sits down with Karol Mark Yee to deal with the dire straits Philippine training is in, and a potential path ahead.

Gelo Gonzales takes aside the surveillance applied sciences utilized by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and why this could matter to you. 

Oscar Quiambao writes in regards to the Filipino Individuals who help ICE’s marketing campaign towards immigrants. 

Marites Vitug takes us to a world tour of our protection partnerships with varied nations.

– Rappler.com

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