Manuel B. Villar, Jr.

Manuel B. Villar, Jr. is the Chairman of the Board of Vista Land & Lifescapes, Inc., the country’s largest homebuilder which is recognized for its themed and masterplanned communities and its brands namely, Camella, Crown Asia, Brittany and Vista Residences, that offer quality housing across all market segments. In 2007, Vista Land was listed in the Philippine Stock Exchange.

In early 1970’s, Mr. Villar founded Camella Homes and successfully managed the said company over the years and became one of the dominant players in the real estate industry, building about 300,000 houses, with the widest geographic presence in 35 provinces and 85 cities and municipalities across the Philippines.

With his vast experience in the real estate, he was then dubbed by The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism as the “the dean of the (Philippine) real estate industry.”

He is also the Chairman of Starmalls, Inc., also a publicly listed company, All Day Convenience Stores, Inc. and All Home Corporation. As part of the ongoing diversification of his business activities, his family also ventures in water, energy and mining businesses.

Mr. Villar was a Senator of the Philippines from 2001 to June 2013. He also served as a Congressman from 1992 to 2001. He is the first post-war public official who became both Speaker of the House of Representatives (1998-2000) and Senate President (2006-2008). He is also President of the Nacionalista Party, the grandest political party of the Philippines.

Interspersed with the political and business lives of Manny Villar is his personal passion to uplift the lives of Filipinos. Thus, together with his family, he founded and chaired Villar Foundation which also serves as the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of Vista Land. He is also the Chairman of Villar SIPAG (Social Institute for Poverty Alleviation and Governance).

A Certified Public Accountant, he obtained a degree of Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Accountancy and Masters in Business Administration from the University of the Philippines. In the early days of his career, he joined Sycip, Gorres, Velayo & Co. (SGV & Co.), the premier accounting firm in the Philippines. He also worked briefly as a financial analyst at the Private Development Corporation of the Philippines.

Mr. Villar is the recipient of several national awards, including: Ten Outstanding Young Men Award (1986) by the Philippine Jaycees, Agora Award for Outstanding Achievement in Marketing Management (1989), Most Outstanding CPA by the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (1990), Most Outstanding UP Alumnus (1991) and Most Distinguished UP Alumnus (2004).

He is married to Senator Cynthia A. Villar with three children namely Paolo, Mark and Camille.