MANUEL VILLAR, PHILIPPINES PROPERTY TYCOON

Manuel Villar is the chairman of property developer Vista Land & Lifescapes run by his son Manuel Paolo.Villar's biggest asset is his stake in Villar Land Holdings (formerly Golden MV Holdings), a property developer which is building Villar City, a 3,500-hectare master-planned community south of Manila.

He also has five other listed entities including mall operator Vistamalls, property landlord VistaREIT, home improvement chain AllHome, supermarket chain AllDay Marts and Premiere Island Power REIT. Villar is diversifying his business with new investments in free-to-air TV and plans to build a casino and a theme park in southern Metro Manila

BACKGROUND

Villar was born in late 1949 in Manila as the second of nine siblings. His father was a government employee while his mother was a seafood dealer, according to the official Senate of the Philippines website.

From a young age, he helped his mother sell seafood at a market to help support his siblings and fund their education, as well as his own

He graduated from the University of the Philippines with degrees in business administration and accountancy, and began his career as an accountant for SyCip Gorres Velayo, the Philippines’ largest accounting firm. He soon left the job to launch a seafood delivery.

Undeterred, Villar ventured into another business, purchasing two trucks to transport gravel and sand to construction firms.

"I learned from my mother what it takes to be an entrepreneur," he said, as quoted by the Philippine Senate website. "And it means working really