As some of you may already be aware, long-time City Councilor Mark Anthony Santos pulled off a major upset over Senator Cynthia Villar in the recent local elections and has since been proclaimed as the next Congressional Representative of the city. The Congressman-elect was interviewed by ABS-CBN through their ANC Headstart program and he hopes to inspire future leaders who previously were not given chances to serve.
For historical context, different members of the influential Villar family represented Las Piñas in the House of Representatives since 1992, and there were also members who went on to get elected as Philippine Senators. Senator Cynthia Villar was first elected to the Senate in 2013 and her 2nd 6-year term is ending soon. Before she entered the Senate, she was also the city’s Congressional Representative. In the past election, Santos was the teammate of Mayor-elect April Aguilar. To get to know Santos better, check out his Facebook page by clicking https://www.facebook.com/KonsMark2022
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the news article of ABS-CBN. Some parts in boldface…
Mark Antony Santos, the newly-elected congressional representative of Las Piñas, said Thursday it was “not in my wildest dreams” to challenge the Villar family’s decades-long hold in the post.
“Not in my wildest dream talaga na tumakbo and to fight against a well-entrenched family in Las Piñas,” he told ANC’s Headstart.
Santos was proclaimed Las Piñas congressman-elect after defeating Sen. Cynthia Villar. As of Thursday’s partial and unofficial count, Santos had obtained 108,206 votes while Villar only had 78,526 votes.
It was one of the most stunning upsets in the 2025 midterm polls considering that the Villars had occupied the said congressional post since 1992.
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,” Santos said.
But Santos said he remained “grounded” and gave in to the public clamor for change.
“Kasi grounded tayo, nagkaroon tayo ng consultation. Siguro public clamor na rin ito for a change,” he said.
Santos was long-time councilor in the city, and aligned with the Aguilars, a family who is also related to the Villars.
The new congressman denied that his victory was only a result of the alleged infighting between the 2 political families, adding that he was an “independent” candidate.
Santos said his advocacy in the upcoming Congress is to push for socialized housing.
He said he hoped that his win could be an inspiration for leaders who were “never given a chance” due to the country’s political landscape.
“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.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: If you are a resident of Las Piñas City, what is your reaction to this development? Do you hope that the incoming Congressman Santos will initiate reforms to make new projects and improve the quality of service to the people of Las Piñas?
You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.
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