This classic rags-to-riches narrative is one for the books, and could also classify as a stranger-than-fiction success story.
This is about former Senate President and real estate mogul Manuel “Manny” Bamba Villar Jr. who was born on Dec. 13, 1949 to an impoverished family living in a seedy neighborhood in Moriones, Tondo, Manila.
Villar was a market vendor at a very young age of six. By dint of hard work, he incredibly rose from the slums of Tondo to become one of the world’s wealthiest as listed In Forbes’ Magazine’s exclusive roster of multi-billionaires, with a net worth of $11.4 billion. He topped the Philippine list in 2024.
The second of nine children, Manny knew what dire poverty and squalor were all about. He helped mom Curita sell fish and shrimps at the Divisoria public market, while dad Manuel Sr. worked as an inspector at the Bureau of Fisheries.
Young Manny initially studied at the Isabelo delos Reyes Elementary School, but had to drop out while still in Grade I to continue helping their mother eke out a living. Eventually, he enrolled at the Tondo Parochial School (later renamed Holy Child Catholic School) run by priests, where he completed his elementary education.
The large family cramped in a small rented apartment in a slum area, but they did alright. Things changed when Manny’s father and namesake earned a year-long scholarship for higher education in the United States. Coming home, the patriarch was promoted to director at the Department of Agriculture and National Resources.
With better income, the elder Manuel got a P16,000-loan from the Government Service Insurance System to build a home in a subdivision in Navotas.
Cutting to the chase, Villar graduated from high school at the Mapua Institute of Technology in Santa Cruz, Manila, then took up Business Administration at the University of the Philippines where he also obtained a Masters in the same course. It was in UP where he met and fell in love with Cynthia Aguilar whom he married in 1974.
His first job after college was at the Sycip, Gorres & Velayo, a prominent accounting firm in the country.
But Villar’s mindset and foresight were on the horizon yonder. He eventually resigned to be his own man. He started business delivering seafood in Makati. But the venture wasn’t meant to be so he ended up job hunting once again, and he landed a job as a financial analyst at the Private Development Corporation of the Philippines.
Once again, he started his own business. With a capital of only P10,000, Villar bought two used trucks to deliver sand and gravel for construction companies in Las Piñas. In time, he was building houses bankrolled by a low-interest loan from a rural bank.
Having mustered the intricacies of numbers, Villar knew the advantages of economies of scale. So he went into mass housing to be able to sell homes at reasonable rates. That venture has so far generated over 400,000 homes across the country.
Villar also put up Prime Water to operate and maintain water distribution systems in several parts of the country. The firm managed by son Paolo holds at least 30 water projects nationwide, including a 25-year partnership with the municipality of Daraga to deliver potable water to consumers, a 25-year joint venture agreement with Lingayen Water District in Pangasinan and a 25-year joint agreement with the Leyte Metropolitan Water District.
In 1984, he established Golden Haven Memorial Park which owns and operates a chain of high-end cemeteries in the country.
In July 1995, his flagship company C&P Homes, was listed in the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) and grew by more than 30 percent in one day. Vista Land and Landscapes Inc., a family-owned business, was likewise listed in the PSE.
Consequently, Villar’s assets grew by leaps and bounds.
After losing his presidential bid in 2010, Villar withdrew from politics, but his wife Cynthia, son Mark and daughter Camille continue to carry the political torch. His wife and Mark are both members of the Senate, while Camille sits at the House of Representatives for the lone district of Las Piñas.
His absence from the social scenes triggered rumors about his alleged ignominious passing, although the family remained mum on the issue.
Presently, the man is busy realizing his vision of Villar City, apparently designed to be the crown jewel of his legacy. “It will be a city within cities,” he said.
Villar was initially elected as the representative of the Las Piñas-Muntinlupa district. At 42 years old, he was one of the youngest members of Congress. In 1998, he was installed as Speaker during his third term in Congress.
He went on to become a senator in the 2001 elections. Five years later, he was elected Senate president, making him the first post-World War II public official to head both chambers of Congress.