Manny Villar back on Forbes Asia’s ‘Heroes of Philanthropy’ List

Property tycoon Manuel Villar Jr., who chairs listed developer Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc. and listed among the world’s top 200 billionaires, was again included in Forbes Asia’s Heroes of Philanthropy list following his P615 million donation for a church and school in Provence.

In its writeup, Forbes Asia cited Villar’s donation in Provence, a 350-hectare master planned estate of Vista Land in Malolos, Bulacan inspired by the joie de vivre of Southeastern France.

Groundbreaking for the church, set to seat about 320 in a 500-square-meter space, was held last month, while plans for the school are still being finalized.

“It has always been my belief that communities flourish when faith and education are at [their] center,” Villar was quoted as saying in an emailed statement.

Villar’s Vista Land & Lifescapes serves as the holding company of the Vista Group engaged in the development of residential subdivisions and construction of housing and condominium units.

It is involved in the development and sale of residential lots and units and residential high-rise condominiums; development, leasing, and management of shopping malls and commercial centers; and the development and management of recreational and vacation facilities such as resorts, hotels, clubs, and spas.

To recall, Villar was also included in Forbes Asia’s Heroes of Philanthropy list for 2020, following his donations to two education institutions — 2 hectares of land to Manila’s Saint Jude Catholic School, and 5 hectares to the University of the Philippines for its innovation campus — with a combined value of P8 billion or $165 million.

Villar was the only Filipino included in Forbes Magazine’s top 200 billionaires in 2024 released in April, as he ranked 190th with an estimated wealth of $11 billion.

He was ranked third in Forbes Asia’s Philippines 50 Richest list released in August, with an estimated net worth of $10.9 billion, behind the Sy siblings of the SM Group with $13 billion, and ports magnate Enrique Razon Jr. with $11.1 billion.

Villar’s wife Cynthia and his son Mark are currently senators, while his daughter Camilla is a member of the House of Representatives.

Other listees of the Forbes Asia’s Heroes of Philanthropy for the year include Canva CEO Melanie Perkins, Canva COO Cliff Obrecht, Macrotech Developers CEO and managing director Abhishek Lodha, Xiaomi cofounder, chairman, and CEO Lei Jun, Fast Retailing chairman, president, and CEO Tadahi Yanai, Fortescue Metals Group founder and executive chairman Andrew Forrest, Minderoo Foundation cofounder Nicola Forrest, CK Asset Holdings and CK Hutchison Holdings senior advisor Li Ka-shing, Torrent Group chairman Samir Mehta, Torrent Group chairman emeritus Sudhir Mehta, Meta Platforms cofounder and B Capital co-CEO Eduardo Saverin, Elaine and Eduardo Saverin Foundation cofounder Elaine Saverin, New Zealand-based property developer and investor Mark Dunajtschik, Horizons Ventures cofounder Solina Chau, Fubon Financial Holding director Daniel Tsai, MBK Partners Michael Kim, Share My Super founder Liz Greive, Motilal Oswal Financial Services chairman Raamdeo Agrawal, and Motilal Oswal Financial Services managing director and CEO Motilal Oswal.

--VAL, GMA Integrated News