A week with the Villars: Inquirer, Bulletin boost Villar candidacy with “puff pieces”

JEERS TO Inquirer.net and Manila Bulletin Online for the publication of puff pieces on Senator Mark Villar and his sister Camille Villar, Representative of Las Piñas City who is also running for senator in the 2025 midterm elections. The articles published in the two news sites were similar in wording, a strong indication that these were produced by publicists of the Villars and presented as news by the two organizations. 

The pieces all carried supposed “advocacies” of the Villars and seemed to follow the same template for presenting information: the identification of a persistent problem or issue and the importance of having to addressing it. The articles also included the same quotes from the siblings, describing these as “recent remarks” without identifying the circumstances under which the statements were said. 

Within the period of January 31 to February 7, Inquirer.net and Manila Bulletin Online each ran three separate articles on Mark Villar and his advocacy for “family-centered infrastructure,” “green spaces and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure” and his call for increased investments in agricultural infrastructure. 

Camille Villar got “coverage” on a daily basis during the same period, with both Inquirer.net and Manila Bulletin Online using pieces on her claimed advocacies; among others, the inclusion of computer programming in elementary school curriculum and producing a “roadmap for a progressive Philippines.” 

Inquirer.net carried seven separate pieces on Camille, while Manila Bulletin Online published eight. Both newsrooms also reported that Camille Villar turned over a house and lot in Camella Homes to an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) based in Taiwan, which she claimed was part of her advocacy to help OFWs. Camella Homes is one of the many businesses owned by the Villar family.

The articles focused on the ideas and plans as described by the two Villars, without reporting what the Villar siblings have accomplished so far in pursuit of these objectives. Both have been in office for six years, maintaining the presence of the family dynasty. 

Without asking the critical questions of the two politicians or adding more relevant information related to their claims, these pieces published by Inquirer.net and Manila Bulletin Online were not journalistic reports but served as vehicles of the Villars’ political propaganda. These stories favored Camille particularly as the January 2025 pre-election survey of the Social Weather Stations placed her at 15th place in voter preference, still three counts out of the “Magic 12” who could occupy Senate seats. 

Political plans are expressions of mere intentions. In presenting politicians in the news, newsrooms should focus on the record of performance and quality of public service which journalists should research and investigate on their own. In interviewing candidates, journalists should take on the candidates and examine the credibility of their claims and their capacity to fulfill their promises.

Otherwise, these articles are no more than mere PR for candidates.