Manuel "Manny" Bamba Villar, Jr.

Manuel "Manny" Bamba Villar, Jr. (born December 13, 1949) is a Filipino businessman and politician. He is the President of the Nacionalista Party and a member of the Senate of the Philippines. Villar was Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1998 to 2000—in which capacity he presided over the impeachment of President Joseph Estrada—as well as President of the Senate from 2006 to 2008.

He assumed the Senate presidency at the beginning of the Third Regular Session of the 13th Congress, as part of a power-sharing agreement with his predecessor Sen. Franklin Drilon. On November 17, 2008, Villar was forced to resign due to lack of support in the Senate.

Early life

Manuel "Manny" Bamba Villar Jr. was born on December 13, 1949 in Moriones, Tondo Manila. His father, Manuel Montalban Villar, Sr., a government employee, hailed from Cabatuan, Iloilo and his mother Curita Bamba, a seafood dealer, came from Pampanga and Bataan. The second of nine children, Villar attended Holy Child Catholic School and started selling seafood at the Divisoria Market at an early age.

While Manny Villar was a working student, he was also putting in long hours as a fish and shrimp trader: working where the action starts during the wee hours of the morning when the freshly caught seafood arrives at market grounds. As a working student, he was able to put himself through school by finishing his studies at the University of the Philippines where he earned his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in Business Administration.

After graduation, he tried his hand as an accountant at the country’s biggest accounting firm, Sycip, Gorres, Velayo & Co. (SGV & Co.). He resigned shortly though to venture on his own seafood delivery business.

When a restaurant he was delivering stocks to did not pay him, he printed out “meal tickets” which he persuaded the restaurant owners to honor. He then sold these tickets at a discounted price to office workers. It took him one year to liquidate his receivables.

He worked briefly as a financial analyst at the Private Development Corporation of the Philippines. His job was to sell World Bank loans, despite the attractive rates of which there were no takers. Convinced that he could make it on his own again, he quit his job and promptly availed of one of the loans.

Business

With an initial capital of P10,000 in 1975, Villar purchased two reconditioned trucks and started his sand-and-gravel business in Las Piñas.

He started a sand and gravel business and then went on to establish one of the largest development firms in the Southeast Asian region, the Camella & Palmera Homes. Originally low end developers, the Company has recently started selling more high end homes under the Crown Asia brand name, although criticism have been voiced in the press of many such developments in Cebu, Cagayan de Oro and Davao His C&P Homes business has also been featured in international publications such as the Far Eastern Economic Review, Asiaweek, Asiamoney, and the Asian Business Review.

He earned citations such as the Ten Outstanding Young Men in 1986, the Agora Award for Marketing Management in 1989, Most Outstanding CPA by the Institute of Certified Public Accountants in 1990, and Most Outstanding Alumnus in 1991.

Politics

As a successful businessman, he ventured in the political arena in 1992 and was elected as Congressman representing Las Piñas posting landslide victories. On his third term, he was chosen to be the Speaker of the House of Representatives. On November 13, 2000, he became the first House Speaker in Philippine history to impeach a President, paving the way for the elevation of the articles of impeachment to the Senate.

In the national elections held last May 14, 2001, despite being a relative newcomer in national politics, Manny Villar posted one of the most impressive showings in the national polls. On his first day in office, he was selected as Senate President Pro Tempore, the position he held until 2003.

He has also spearheaded the building of schools, sending out medical missions and setting up relief operations whenever or wherever needed.[citation needed] He led the inauguration of the Las Piñas-Muntinlupa-Laguna-Cavite (LPMLC) link road, more popularly known as Daang Hari, as part of his road improvement program aimed at easing traffic in the south of Metro Manila.

In February 2004, he was elected as President of the Nacionalista Party — the country’s oldest political party. He was also named the Most Distinguished UP Alumnus—the highest recognition given by the UP Alumni Association—for his exemplary public service and achievements.[4] After the 2004 elections, he initially planned to run for the Senate presidency but agreed to let the incumbent, Franklin Drilon to finish his turn as Senate President until June 2006. Honoring the said agreement, his fellow senators unanimously elected him as Senate President on July 24, 2006.

He is recognized as the richest legislator in Philippine history where he was consistently the richest congressman from 1992 to 2001 and richest senator from 2001 until 2008 with a net worth of P 1,041,383,9246.

On the Forbes Magazine released October 2007, its list of “The Philippines’ 40 Richest,” he is ranked 5th and the year’s biggest gainer. From $110 million last year, his net worth shot up 755% to $940 million after the public offering of his company Vista Land & Lifescapes.

Senator Manny Villar's wife is Cynthia A. Villar, currently the representative of the lone congressional district of Las Piñas). He has two sons (Paolo and Mark) and a daughter (Camille).

2007 Senate President

On July 23, 2007, Villar was elected Senate President by a vote of 15-7, after the oath-taking of the 11 new senators, with the exception of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV. Those who voted for Villar were Senators Edgardo Angara, Joker Arroyo, Alan Peter Cayetano, Pia Cayetano, Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Juan Ponce-Enrile, Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, Richard Gordon, Gregorio Honasan, Manuel Lapid, Francis Pangilinan, Aquilino Pimentel Jr., Ramon Revilla Jr., and Juan Miguel Zubiri. Villar cast a vote for himself. Those who voted for Pimentel were Senators Benigno Aquino III, Rodolfo Biazon, Francis Escudero, Panfilo Lacson, Loren Legarda, Ana Consuelo Madrigal, and Manuel Roxas II.

Performance rating

On January 7, 2008, the Social Weather Stations (November 30 to December 3, 2007) survey revealed all-time high satisfaction grades for Vice-President Noli de Castro and Senate President Manuel Villar, Jr.: 64% satisfied and 23% dissatisfied - de Castro's performance, or satisfaction rating of net +41; 71%, satisfied and 13% dissatisfied for Villar, net +59.

Resignation

Juan Ponce Enrile was elected Senate of the Philippines President who replaced resigned Villar, who saw himself forced to resign due to lack of support in the Senate on November 17, 2008.

The 2010 presidency

Villar Jr., on June 6, 2008 announced that he is 99% joining the Philippine general election, 2010 (one percent, is on the possibility of no election), amid his nomination of the Nacionalista Party (NP), chaired by him. Villar stated that: "We are prepared to have alliance with other political parties." On September 4, 2008, Villar formally declared and confirmed his presidential candidacy.

[edit] "Villa Pacencia" Villar mansion

Manuel Villar and Cynthia A. Villar, bought and took over, on July 12, 2008, "Villa Pacencia," the 3-story 51-year-old white-and-green Laurel mansion, now a historic site, built by Jose P. Laurel, on 6,000 square meters prime Mandaluyong lot. The mansion has 2 historical markers - the 1957 note of its first creation, and the visit of Indonesian President Sukarno, who twice slept at the mansion (in 1963 visit, and again, later, with Filipino movie star, Amelia de la Rama). Jose P. Laurel built the house on No. 515 Shaw Blvd., several years after he stepped down as President. The mansion is the biggest of the 3 residences that Laurel built (in Tanauan, and in Paco, Manila, called the Villa Peñafrancia). The Villars refurbished the mansion and formally presented it to the Laurel clan, NP leaders, inter alia, for the June 10, 2008 blessing.

Pocket billiards promoter

Besides being an entrepreneur and a politician, Villar became a promoter for pool tournaments. He held the first Manny Villar Cup on May 5, 2008.The staging of this event became somewhat controversial because it took place at the same date of a tournament under the Philippine Pool Tour.