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Manuel "Manny" Bamba Villar, Jr. (born December 13, 1949) is a Filipino businessman and politician. He is the President of the Nacionalista Party and a member of the Senate of the Philippines. Villar was Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1998 to 2000—in which capacity he presided over the impeachment of President Joseph Estrada—as well as President of the Senate from 2006 to 2008.
He assumed the Senate presidency at the beginning of the Third Regular Session of the 13th Congress, as part of a power-sharing agreement with his predecessor Sen. Franklin Drilon. On November 17, 2008, resigned due to lack of support in the Senate.
He is recognized as the richest legislator in Philippine history where he was consistently the richest congressman from 1992 to 2001 and richest senator from 2001 until 2008 with a net worth of P1.04 billion.[1] On the Forbes Magazine released October 2007, its list of "The Philippines’ 40 Richest", he is ranked 5th and the year’s biggest gainer. From $110 million last year, his net worth shot up 755% to $940 million after the public offering of his company Vista Land & Lifescapes.
Senator Manny Villar's wife is Cynthia A. Villar, currently the representative of the lone congressional district of Las Piñas. He has two sons (Paolo and Mark) and a daughter (Camille).
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Manuel "Manny" Bamba Villar Jr. was born on December 13, 1949 in Moriones, Tondo Manila. His father, Manuel Montalban Villar, Sr., a government employee, hailed from Cabatuan, Iloilo and his mother Curita Bamba, a seafood dealer, came from Pampanga and Bataan. The second of nine children, Villar attended Holy Child Catholic School and started selling seafood at the Divisoria Market at an early age.[citation needed]
While Manny Villar was a working student, he was also putting in long hours as a fish and shrimp trader: working where the action starts during the wee hours of the morning when the freshly caught seafood arrives at market grounds.[citation needed] As a working student, he was able to put himself through school by finishing his studies at the University of the Philippines where he earned his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in Business Administration.
After graduation, he tried his hand as an accountant at the country’s biggest accounting firm, Sycip, Gorres, Velayo & Co. (SGV & Co.). He resigned shortly though to venture on his own seafood delivery business.[2]
When a restaurant he was delivering stocks to did not pay him, he printed out “meal tickets” which he persuaded the restaurant owners to honor. He then sold these tickets at a discounted price to office workers. It took him one year to liquidate his receivables.[2]
He worked briefly as a financial analyst at the Private Development Corporation of the Philippines. His job was to sell World Bank loans; despite their attractive rates there were no takers. Convinced that he could make it on his own again, he quit his job and promptly availed of one of the loans.[2]
In 1975, with an initial capital of P10,000, Villar purchased two reconditioned trucks and started his sand-and-gravel business in Las Piñas.[2]
He then went on to establish one of the largest development firms in the Southeast Asian region, the Camella & Palmera Homes[citation needed]. Originally low-end developers, the company has recently started selling more high end homes under the Crown Asia brand name, although criticism have been voiced in the press of many such developments in Cebu, and Davao [3][4]
He earned citations such as 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 Alumnus in 1991.
Villar entered politics in 1992, and was elected to the House of Representatives, representing the district of Las Piñas-Muntinlupa (and later the district of Las Piñas City).[5] In 1998, he was chosen Speaker of the House of Representatives.[5]
On November 13, 2000, he presided over the impeachment of President Joseph Estrada, paving the way for the elevation of the articles of impeachment to the Senate.
Villar was elected to the Senate in 2001. At the start of legislative sessions, he was chosen as Senate President Pro Tempore, a position he held until 2003.
In February 2004, he was elected as President of the Nacionalista Party, the country’s oldest political party. He was also named the Most Distinguished UP Alumnus—the highest recognition given by the UP Alumni Association—for his exemplary public service and achievements.[6] After the 2004 elections, he initially planned to run for the Senate presidency but agreed to let the incumbent, Franklin Drilon, finish his turn as Senate President until June 2006. Honoring the said agreement, his fellow senators unanimously elected him as Senate President on July 24, 2006.
Villar won reelection to the Senate in 2007. At the start of legislative sessions he was chosen Senate President, defeating Aquilino Pimentel by a vote of 15–7.[7] However, in November 2008, he resigned the position due to a lack of support in the Senate. He was immediately replaced by elect Juan Ponce Enrile.[8]. Fourteen senators voted for Enrile; namely, Edgardo Angara, Rodolfo Biazon, Jose Estrada, Francis Escudero, Richard Gordon, Gregorio Honasan, Panfilo Lacson, Lito Lapid, Loren Legarda, Ana Consuelo Madrigal, Ramon Revilla, Manuel Roxas II and Juan Miguel Zubiri. Senator Lacson said that the controversy C-5 highway project triggered the move for a change in the Senate leadership. In 2008, Lacson exposed the redundant insertion of the C-5 Road project proposed by the then Senate president Manuel “Manny” Villar in the 2009 national budget. The said insertion allegedly amounted to 400 million pesos and benefited Villar’s real estate business.
Villar Jr., on June 6, 2008, announced that he is 99% joining the Philippine general election, 2010 (one percent, is on the possibility of no election), amid his nomination of the Nacionalista Party (NP), chaired by him. Villar stated that: "We are prepared to have alliance with other political parties."[9][10] On September 4, 2008, Villar formally declared and confirmed his presidential candidacy.[11][12]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Filemon C. Aguilar | Representative, Lone District of Las Piñas City 1992 – 2001 Prior to 1998, Lone District of Las Piñas-Muntinlupa | Succeeded by Cynthia A. Villar |
| Preceded by Jose De Venecia | Speaker of the House of Representatives 1998 – 2000 | Succeeded by Arnulfo Fuentebella |
| Preceded by Franklin M. Drilon | President of the Senate of the Philippines 2006 – 2008 | Succeeded by Juan Ponce Enrile |
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