Villar Group partners with Unimed for hospital venture

MANILA, Philippines - The Villar Group’s Vitacare Healthgroup has partnered with Unimed Joint Venture Corp. for its foray into the hospital business.

Vitacare Unimed Hospital & Medical Center will rise in the P50 billion Vista City in Daang Hari, the road that links Metro Manila to Cavite.

Businessman Manuel Villar, Jr. said the hospital would be developed in two phases with the first one comprising 100 beds.

The group is expected to break ground on the project this Saturday (Dec. 5).  Construction will start in May next year.

The first phase is slated for completion in two years.

 Villar said the group would also expand the hospital business in other areas which include Parañaque, (Lake Front), Bataan (Balanga), Bulacan (Malolos and San Jose del Monte), Cavite (General Trias and Tanza), Batangas (Santo Tomas), Pampanga (San Fernando), Naga (Camarines Sur), Cebu (Talisay), Iloilo (Boton), Davao and Cagayan de Oro.

Aside from hospitals, the Villar Group is also venturing into the education business, Villar said.

“The group has been quite active for the last five years. We’re going into healthcare, hotel business and we have been expanding our mall business,” Villar said.

He said Vista Land and Lifescapes Inc. could enter into  partnerships through the land that it owns.

“Our share will be the land so there wouldn’t be much cash out,” he said.

Vista City also comprise of commercial, retail and residential developments.

It is located in the Southern Manila West Growth Area, covering parts of Las Piñas, Muntinlupa and Cavite on the west section of the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX).

The area is said to be the new millionaires’ row in Southern Metro Manila.

Vista City has an IT space dubbed Ecohub, which is expected to become one of the most advanced business and IT parks in the country.

 It will also have several office towers that will be devoted to commerce and the business process outsourcing industry.

As part of the development, Vista Land is also expanding the Evia, which is Vista City’s commercial, retail and entertainment complex.