Push Admin

Villa family wishes for public servants' helpline after Jun's suicide

Article (news)

Aleta Nieva-Nishimori, ABS-CBN News

MANILA – The family of an official of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) who committed suicide after allegedly being pressured to approve some contracts only wanted the truth out.Veteran journalist Rosario Sofia &quot;Charie&quot; Villa said they chose to disclose the circumstances her brother, the late ERC Director Francisco &#x27;Jun&#x27; Villa Jr., experienced that led him to take his own life.“It’s the ninth day today and I put it out there because I know he has the courage not to succumb to pressures of some of his superiors to sign legal contracts, and for that I admire him,” Villa said in a phone interview on ANC’s Top Story on Thursday. She said her brother committed suicide inside their parents’ old house last November 9 due to alleged corruption inside the ERC.“It was the morning of Wednesday, the following day when he told me he was being forced to sign some contracts that were not properly bidded out. Then I heard a bang,” she recalled. It was their house maid and driver who saw her brother.“I refused to go inside his room. The police came. We called for the police. They got the suicide note and there he spelled out his pressures at the ERC; how the chairman was pressuring him to push some contracts to be approved but then he said he can’t cause...he&#x27;ll be questioned by the Commission on Audit,” she said.<div>HAPPY AT ERC</div>Villa described her brother as an introvert. He took care of their father, the late Ombudsman Francisco Villa, and went to work at the ERC when their dad passed away.“He was very happy there. Until recently he expressed pressure and stress. He lost a lot of weight before he took his life on November 9.&quot;She recalled the last conversation she had with him was when he revealed that he was being forced to sign rigged contracts which was making him miserable.“He is single. He had no one but me. We lived in our old parents’ house so it’s me and him. He was professing how important work was for him after my father died,” she said.<div>‘PAWNS, VICTIMS&#x27; </div>Villa wants government employees who, like her brother, are also going through the same pressure, to be able to get help. “We don’t see its [corruption] impact on the government employees who are affected and when their superiors commit these acts, they become pawns or they become victims and I said I think there should be some ways to help these government employees whose values...or [who] work in jeopardy,” she said.“I just want to bring light to that problem, to that fact that my brother was also subjected to,” she said. Her brother left behind <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/focus/11/17/16/erc-director-left-3-suicide-notes-before-taking-his-own-life" target="_blank">suicide notes</a> detailing the problems he faced which are now in the custody of the police. “If it’s the truth, it’s there. He wrote about it. It becomes public record because the police got it to rule out foul play,” she said.For Villa, telling the truth, especially to the younger members of their family, is the only way to deal with the tragedy.“I just want the truth out and it&#x27;s part of my acceptance,” she said.She doesn’t know if an investigation will ensue following her brother’s death.“Whatever effect this will have, if there will be investigations in the ERC, it is no longer my burden. I think the proper government agency should check and look into the activities of the ERC.&quot; <div>GOV&#x27;T WORKERS&#x27; HELPLINE</div>Villa urged her brother’s law school batchmates to set up a helpline for government employees“Parang wala silang redress. They have nowhere to go. Maybe if the president is listening…pero I want this one to be a private thing, the private sector moving against corruption,” she said.&quot;Sana naman my brother&#x27;s death won&#x27;t be in vain,&quot; Villa said.Meanwhile, a group in the Philippines is dedicated to addressing those who have suicidal tendencies.The crisis hotlines of the Natasha Goulbourn Foundation aim to make those individuals feel that someone is ready to listen to them.These are their hotline numbers:Information and Crisis Intervention Center<ul>	<li>(02) 804-HOPE (4673)</li>	<li>0917-558-HOPE (4673) or (632) 211-4550</li>	<li>0917-852-HOPE (4673) or (632) 964-6876</li>	<li>0917-842-HOPE (4673) or (632) 964-4084</li></ul>In Touch Crisis Lines:<ul>	<li>0917-572-HOPE or (632) 211-1305</li>	<li>(02) 893-7606 (24/7)</li>	<li>(02) 893-7603 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm)</li>	<li>Globe (63917) 800.1123 or (632) 506.7314</li>	<li>Sun (63922) 893.8944 or (632) 346.8776</li></ul>

Veteran journalist Rosario Sofia "Charie" Villa wants government employees who, like her late brother, Francisco 'Jun' Villa Jr., could be going through the same pressure, to be able to get help.

Veteran journalist Rosario Sofia "Charie" Villa wants government employees who, like her late brother, Francisco 'Jun' Villa Jr., could be going through the same pressure, to be able to get help.

Villa family wishes for public servants' helpline after Jun's suicide

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

Lifestyle

Villa family wishes for public servants' helpline after Jun's suicide

Aleta Nieva-Nishimori,

ABS-CBN News

Published Nov 17, 2016 10:08 PM PHT

Read More:

Francisco Villa Jr.

Charie Villa

Suicide

corruption

ERC

suicide

government employees

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.