- Details
- Category: Properties
- 08 Apr 2014
- Written by Tet Andolong
THE may have lost the last presidential elections and wallowed through the dirt of politics, but former senator, incumbent president of the Nacionalista Party and entrepreneur Manuel “Manny” Bamba Villar Jr. never for a moment regretted any of it.
Villar, who at one moment of his illustrious life was just a proverbial inch away from the country’s highest office, quickly overcame the painful setback and still pursued his vision he had for the people in other ways. He admitted that he did it because he owes it to the Filipino people. “I don’t think about that [the elections of 2010] anymore. My wife, Cynthia, our children and I, through the Villar Foundation, are focused on how we can help our countrymen, especially the poor,” said Villar during an exclusive interview with the BusinessMirror.
Villar’s life story has always been an open book to many people. He has been criticized and ridiculed, but that doesn’t matter to him—life goes on and so do the lives of the many Filipinos whom they’ve been helping—a continuing mission for him and his family.
Villar earned himself the title “Mr. Sipag at Tiyaga” (Hard Work and Perseverance), which has also served as his slogan and guiding principle in life. He has adopted the advocacies of poverty alleviation and putting roofs over the heads of the homeless, which have been an inspiration to a lot of Filipinos. As a private citizen and businessman, Villar continues to contribute to the real-estate industry wherein he has inspired developers, entrepreneurs, as well as public servants.
The beginnings of Vista Land
In 1975 Villar started a gravel-and-sand delivery business. A mere two years later, he decided to help people build houses. “The first house I helped build was for a seaman in B. F. Resort. Then, the second house was for a school principal in Pasay. I still remember some of the houses I used to deliver gravel and sand to and their owners—my former clients—still can’t believe how my business has grown,” recalled Villar. “Back then, I saw the potential in the property industry so, I started looking for co-developers, constructors, holding companies. Camella Homes was born and that’s how my real-estate business began.”
Seven years ago, he integrated all of these companies under one umbrella organization, which became Vista Land. Today, Vista Land is the country’s largest homebuilder—having constructed more than 250,000 homes to date and retained a powerful presence in Mega Manila and 38 key provinces, as well as in 65 cities and municipalities in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Vista Land is the market leader in terms of total number of houses built. In terms of total assets, earnings and market capitalization, the company currently ranks among the top listed property firms in the country. Brittany, Crown Asia, Camella, Lessandra and Vista Residences are its current condominium developments.
“My favorite among them is the Crosswinds of Brittany,” said Villar. “It has a different atmosphere. It’s so relaxing.” Imagine yourself surrounded by the sight and scent of over 20,000 pine trees, the picturesque view of the lush terrains of Tagaytay City, and the royal feeling amid Swiss-inspired homes, situated along the very natural slopes of this breath-taking place.
The company caters to all income segments in the different provinces of the country. It has homes ranging from P750,000 up to P45 million. Vista Land has demonstrated its continued confidence in the market through its plans for further expansion into new areas in the Philippines. With the widest geographic reach among all property developers, the company continues to solidify the status of its flagship development, Camella, as a truly national brand.
“What is unique about Camella is that it is a nationwide project. An OFW who will retire would most probably buy a house in his hometown, right? Camella builds good quality homes and landscaping, and, most of all—best value for money,” said Villar. The Camella master plan describes residential communities that are more than a composite of homes, streets, parks and playgrounds. Villar believes that communities should bring whatever its families need within easy reach. Camella is ideally located with immediate access to institutions like schools, hospitals, churches, transport hubs and places of leisure. Now, when Camella builds, it also builds churches, schools and commercial centers. By creating properties that are essentially self-contained, it is creating virtual cities.
Giving back
With social responsibility as its guiding principle, the Villar Foundation, which was organized in 1995, has initiated, implemented and supported various projects aimed at improving the quality of life of the people in their communities.
One of the foundation’s earliest programs was “Pagtatanim Para Sa Kinabukasan”—a tree-planting program. Over the years, its advocacies and beneficiaries have expanded and diversified in order to reach more people and sectors of the society. These include the poor and underprivileged; OFWs and their families; the youth; women; the church; the environment, among others.
The foundation’s programs and projects include medical and dental missions; river rehabilitation program; religious projects such as the building of churches; repatriation of distressed OFWs; livelihood and entrepreneurship.
A true leader and man of vision
After the roofs of the houses, posts and trees in Camella Leyte were blown away by Supertyphoon Yolanda, Villar directed a task force to rehabilitate the Camella communities as well as in Iloilo, Capiz and Aklan by providing roofing materials to the homeowners for free. The streets of the communities were also cleared and repaired immediately. Thousands of families in eight towns in Iloilo, including Ajuy, Lemery, Passi City, Sara, Balasan, Estancia, Carles and Concepcion, benefited from Villar’s roofing project. The towns of Altavas, Batan, Ibahay, Balete in Aklan and Pontevedra, Sigma, Dumarao, and Tapaz in Capiz also received roofing materials.
“In our own capacity, we are continuously helping the survivors. Little by little, we are doing what we can to address their needs and help them rise from the devastation. We hope we can encourage more people and companies to continue helping because the survivors really need our help,” said Villar.
Earlier, Villar was also in Leyte and Samar—provinces worst hit by the typhoon, where he launched his “Bangon Leyte Roofing Project,” which is an initiative to rebuild the affected schools such as the Philippine Science High School-Eastern Visayas Campus in Palo, Leyte.
Villar actively sponsors the Sipag at Tiyaga Caravan Kaalaman, a livelihood training program that provides skills and inspiration to people that will allow them to venture into their own businesses. The caravan travels all over the country conducting livelihood seminars that are widely attended and appreciated. He has also spearheaded the building of schools, sending out medical missions and setting up relief operations whenever or wherever 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. According to him, “An efficient and rationalized road network is one of the fundamental requirements in improving commerce and spurring economic progress.”
Vista Land is a story about the desire to build a home for every Filipino, to deservedly reward them for their hard work and perseverance, to give young families a place of their own where they can grow their dreams and tomorrows. Despite his numerous impeccable accomplishments and heroism, Villar has remained simple, humble and unaffected. A true family man, he is a devoted husband to Sen. Cynthia A. Villar (Lone District of Las Piñas), and a loving father to sons Paolo and Mark and daughter Camille.
Serving the Filipino people; providing shelter; encouraging each and every kababayan to improve their quality of life and fulfilling their dreams through the very values he believes in, “sipag at tiyaga”—is a victory for Villar.
In Photo: A man with a dream and vision for his countrymen Manny Villar and Excellent quality, craftsmanship and affordability Crown Asia’s Valenza in Santa Rosa, Laguna.
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