Manny Villar

Manuel Bamba Villar Jr. (; born December 13, 1949) is a Filipino businessman and former politician. He previously served as senator from 2001 to 2013 and as the 25th president of the Senate of the Philippines from 2006 to 2008. Before his stint in the senate, he represented the district of Las Piñas–Muntinlupa from 1992 to 1998, and Las Piñas's at-large district from 1998 to 2001. He also became the speaker of the House of Representatives from 1998 to 2000; in this term, he presided over the impeachment of President Joseph Estrada. In 2025, Forbes magazine named Villar as the richest person in the Philippines, with an estimated net worth of US$17.2 billion.

Villar was born to a poor family in Tondo, an impoverished and densely populated district of Manila. After graduating from the University of the Philippines, he worked as an accountant and financial analyst, then launched a highly successful business in real estate. Villar's companies have built over 200,000 homes,

He ran for president in the 2010 presidential elections under the Nacionalista Party, but lost to Benigno Aquino III.

Early life and education Manuel Villar was born on December 13, 1949, in Tondo, an impoverished and densely populated district of Manila. He was the second-born of the nine children of his parents in a poor family. Due to cramped conditions in Tondo, Villar's father obtained a loan from the Government Service Insurance System, payable in 20 to 25 years, to build a home in San Rafael Village, Navotas. He also assisted his mother in selling shrimp and fish at the Divisoria Public Market, as early as age six, in order to help earn the money to support his siblings and himself to school. He attended the University of the Philippines Diliman, where he joined the Pan Xenia fraternity in his junior year, and earned his bachelor's degree in business administration in 1970

Business career After obtaining his bachelor's degree, Villar began his professional career working as an accountant for Sycip, Gorres, Velayo & Co. (SGV & Co). However, when his largest customer was unable to pay him, he negotiated a debt restructuring of sorts, selling discounted meal tickets to office workers in exchange for receivables. It counts a 25-year partnership with the municipality of Daraga to deliver bulk water, among its 30 water projects with local water districts. The Commission on Audit's 2018 annual report flagged Prime Water's operations in Guagua, Pampanga, due to high levels of arsenic. The company produces over 170 million liters of treated water daily, supplied by more than 250 deep wells and surface water resources, and is directly involved in delivering water to more than 150,000 households across the Philippines. Now under the Villar Group of Companies, the water utility firm is led by their eldest son, Paolo.

In 1984, he founded Golden Haven Memorial Park, a chain of cemeteries in the Philippines, started with its first branch in Las Piñas and expanded in Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Zamboanga, Bulacan, and Iloilo. It also expanded into the businesses of memorial chapel, crematorium and columbarium.

In July 1995, Villar's flagship property, C&P Homes, was listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange and grew by more than a third in one day, ballooning Villar's 80% stake in the company to .

Vista Land and Lifescapes Inc, a family-owned business of Villar, is also listed in the privately owned Philippine Stock Exchange. Their shares of stocks were bought primarily by foreign funds which had given the government, as well as the PSE, good revenues.

Villar has received several awards for his achievements during his professional and business career, including being one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men in 1986, the Agora Award for Marketing Management in 1989, Most Outstanding CPA by the Institute of Certified Public Accountants in 1990, and Most Outstanding UP Alumnus in 1991.

In 2015, the MB Villar Group formed another company, Vitacare Healthgroup, Inc., to build chain of hospitals nationwide. Its first project Vitacare Unimed Hospital & Medical Center (in partnership with Unimed) will be located in Vista City, Las Piñas will be fully operated in 2018.

As of September 2018, Forbes magazine ranked him as the second-wealthiest person in the Philippines, with his net worth of US$5 billion or ₱269 billion. However, his statements of assets and liabilities (SALN) filed for the year 2012 states his net worth at ₱1.453 billion.

In 2019, Forbes magazine named Villar as the new richest individual in the Philippines, with an estimated net worth of US$5.5 billion, surpassing Henry Sy Sr. In 2021, his net worth surged to approximately $6.7 billion despite being overtaken by the Sy siblings in Forbes ' annual Philippines rich list.

Villar became the richest individual again surpassing Enrique Razon in March 2025, after his company Golden MV Holdings, Inc. (Villar Land) reportedly profitted due to fair value gains linked to Villar City. However Villar's net worth dropped to US$8.4 billion in November 2025 being $2 billion poorer. This is atributted to the valuation controversy associated with Villar Land. In the first 100 days of the 9th Congress, Villar filed the largest amount of local bills in the House of Representatives. Due to congressional redistricting, he later represented the district of Las Piñas. However, he was ousted as speaker by Estrada's allies, replacing him with Camarines Sur representative Arnulfo Fuentebella.

Senate

Villar ran and won a seat as a senator in the 2001 elections. He ran as an independent candidate, but campaigned as a member of the People Power Coalition. He was later reelected in 2007, running as a member of the Genuine Opposition coalition. Economist Winnie Monsod described the C-5 extension project as "unnecessary" and "wasteful".

Manny and Cynthia Villar have been linked to the pork barrel scam. Janet Lim-Napoles alleged in an affidavit that she gave campaign contributions to Manny Villar in Mandaluyong and alleged that in 2004 he received kickbacks of 30% from the purchase of computers P3.7 million for the Department of Transportation and Communications. Cynthia Villar denied the allegations. In 2013, Leody de Guzman of Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino filed a letter with the Philippine Department of Justice alleging that the Villars' use of P151 million of their pork barrel violated the procurement law.

2010 presidential campaign

Villar ran in the 2010 presidential election under the Nacionalista Party, with Senator Loren Legarda as his running mate.

During the campaign, columnist William Esposo claimed that Villar lied in his television commercials and could not have been poor because his younger brother was admitted to FEU Hospital, which he claims was a top hospital at the time and, in 1962, there was no bone marrow transplantation and chemotherapy in the country yet. Villar clarified that his brother was admitted as a charity patient because the family was unable to afford treatment. They married at age 25. Villar and Aguilar families are also has a longtime friendship with the family of Romeo Jalosjos Sr., fellow politicians and chairman of Television and Production Exponents (TAPE) Inc., the former producer of the longest-running noontime variety show Eat Bulaga!, and its successor, Tahanang Pinakamasaya.

Philanthropy In 2024, Manuel Villar was recognized in Forbes Asia's Heroes of Philanthropy list for his significant charitable contributions. He donated ₱615 million to build a church and school in Bulacan and provided land valued at ₱613 million to the Diocese of Malolos.