Real estate tycoon Manuel Villar was recognized as one of Forbes Asia’s 15 “Heroes of Philanthropy” for 2020.
Forbes Asia, in a statement, hailed Villar for his two-hectare land donation to Saint Jude Catholic School last year and five-hectare land appropriation to the University of the Philippines.
The land donated to UP, Villar’s alma mater, will be used for the establishment of an innovation campus. The two parcels have a combined value of P8 billion ($165 million).
The 70-year old founder and chairman of Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc. also contributed to new facilities at four different schools in the country while smaller donations were channeled to churches, poverty alleviation and the fight against COVID-19, which included protective equipment and converting buildings into quarantine facilities.
Forbes Asia said this year's list encompasses entrepreneurs committed to causes in the Asia-Pacific region.
“Our goal is to capture individual philanthropists who are donating from their personal fortunes. Thus the list doesn’t include donations made by companies of Asia’s richest tycoons,” the magazine said.
Also on the list were Vietnam’s richest man, Pham Nhat Vuong, Japan’s Fast Retailing chief Tadashi Yana, Hong Kong’s Li Ka-Shing, Pramod Bhasin of India, brothers Robert and Philip Ng of Singapore, husband and wide John and Pauline Gandel of Australia, Li Shufu of China, Huh Dong-Soo of South Korea, Eleanor Kwok Lai Kwai Chun of Hong Kong, Simon Lin of Taiwan, Lee Su-Young of South Korea, Li Xiting of China, Rakesh JhunJhunwala of India and Yusaku Maezawa of Japan.