Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc. chairman Manuel Villar was named one of Forbes Asia’s “Heroes of Philanthropy” for 2024. The annual list recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to causes they value over the past year.
Forbes noted Villar’s donation of P615 million ($10.4 million) to build a church and a school in Provence, a 350-hectare residential estate being developed by Vista Land in Malolos, Bulacan. The donation includes a 1.2-hectare parcel of land granted to the local Catholic Church, which will host a 500-square-meter church with a seating capacity of 320 people. Plans for the accompanying school are still being finalized, Forbes said
“It has always been my belief that communities flourish when faith and education are at [their] center,” Villar told the publication.
Villar was also featured on Forbes Asia’s Heroes of Philanthropy list in 2020 for donating more than two hectares of land to Saint Jude Catholic School in Manila and five hectares to the University of the Philippines for its innovation campus, contributions valued at a combined P8 billion ($165 million).
