‘Mr. Congeniality’

Former Senate president Manuel “Manny” Villar uncharacteristically earned the monicker “brown taipan” among the Filipino business leaders who run mega-buck corporations in the Philippines.

Villar’s “brown taipan” tag is to credit him for breaking into the circle of tycoons or the list of “richest men” in the Forbes magazine perennially lorded over by those with Filipino-Chinese and Filipino-Spanish descents.

Though Villar is not dark but fair-skinned, Villar considers it as an honor to be recognized by his fellow hard-nosed businessmen here in our country. Despite these accolades to his successful comeback to private sector, Villar considers himself just an ordinary Filipino businessman who is doing great to turn around his flagship company Vista Land and Landscapes Inc. more than five years ago now.

From BizNews Asia Magazine issue this week, it reported Villar is merging his two major businesses, Vista Land and Starmalls, to establish a fully integrated property company. “Vista Land, the country’s largest homebuilder, will acquire a controlling 88.25% stake in Starmalls, from the Fine Group, comprising shareholders affiliated with the family of the former senate president,” BizNews Asia Magazine cited.

For the first nine months of 2015, Vista Land reported revenues of P18.5 billion and a net income of P5 billion, up 10% and 18%, respectively, the magazine added. Thus, the magazine included him in its pick of ten “Hot CEOs.” To which Villar wisecracked, “hot” perhaps it’s because they literally feel hot wearing three-piece suits in the conduct of business everyday.

Now semi-retired from Philippine politics, Villar moved on with his life as a full-time businessman. Returning to our regular Tuesday Club breakfast weekly gathering at the Shangri-la Hotel in Pasig City yesterday, the 65-year-old Villar hosted an advance birthday party. He turns a year older this Sunday in his more quiet private life as a businessman.

Unlike politics where you either win or lose, Villar says, business to him is a “win-win” environment that he enjoys now that he is back to running their family-owned business empire. Villar is the chairman of their family empire while son Paolo is the president and daughter Camille heads its marketing arm.

Looking back during the campaign days, Villar has no recriminations of the 2010 presidential contest. Being regarded as the most financially solid presidential candidate then, Villar was the most visible in the campaign ads in media. But he, too was the favorite target of political attacks among the eight presidential aspirants. “I have forgiven all of them,” he quipped.

As a rich man, Villar’s campaign ads traced his roots as a poor boy from Tondo, Manila. He used to the hilt his humble beginnings during the presidential campaign in the May 2010 election. He was then Senate president when he ran as standard-bearer of his Nacionalista Party (NP).

He lost to Liberal Party (LP) presidential standard-bearer, former fellow Senator, Benigno “Noy” Aquino III who is  now the outgoing president. Actually, Villar placed third to former President Joseph Estrada who ended second in the 2010 presidential race.

Villar’s political enemies severely dented his presidential bid. He was accused, among other things, on his pet project C-5 road extension in Las Piñas City that allegedly benefitted from his generous budget allocations as a Senator.

An inspection conducted earlier this year by Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Sec. Rogelio Singson and Villar’s wife, Sen. Cynthia Villar showed the project is now 70 percent complete.?It is projected to benefit some two million commuters from the cities of Las Piñas, Parañaque, Muntinlupa, Pasay, and Cavite to use the road which has no toll fee.??

Villar, however, admitted he still keeps a close tab of party affairs of the NP while leaving politics to his wife and youngest son, Las Piñas City Rep. Mark Villar. He also admitted having dissuaded his congressman-son from running for the Senate. Instead, the young Villar is running for his third and last term in Congress.

He prevailed upon the congressman to complete first his MBA (master in business administration) course in the US and spend more time with their newly born child with wife, fellow Congresswoman Emmeline Aglipay-Villar, party-list representative from Diwa.

As NP chieftain, Villar meets and constantly keeps track of his three NP Senators who are all running in the May 2016 vice presidential election. The three NP Senators are Alan Peter Cayetano, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Antonio Trillanes IV. “Binabantayan ko sila (I’m watching over them). I am telling them you’re young, don’t burn bridges because you may never know the next President may appoint you in his or her Cabinet,” Villar quoted his wise counsel to the three NP VP bets.

Of three, Marcos is on his second and last term as Senator which ends in June next year. Both Cayetano and Trillanes can return to the Senate if they lose to complete the remaining three years of their term in 2019. “They are all running for VP (vice president) for now. We’re not in a hurry. We’re  (NP) very patient people,” Villar told me.

All three are running as “independent” candidates for Veep since each has his own presidential standard-bearer. Cayetano has Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte; Marcos has fellow Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, and Trillanes has adopted fellow Sen. Grace Poe.

Vlllar, however, refused to be cornered on who among the three NP Senators he thinks has the best chances of winning the vice presidential race. As the “father figure” of the NP, he pointed out, he must be seen as not favoring any one of them.

Villar is proud of the fact his NP has strengthened its ranks through these past years he personally wields the party affairs. He noted there are five NP Senators; 27 NP Congress members; nine NP provincial Governors; and over 300 NP mayors all over the country.

Realistically, Villar conceded the present NP coalition with President Aquino’s LP during the May 2013 elections no longer holds.

Villar likewise declined to be drawn into commenting on the Aquino presidency. As a private businessman, Villar says he does his nation-building contribution in assuring foreign and local investors about the growth prospects of the Philippine economy.  With OFW remittances and BPO (Business Process Outsourcing), the economic growth will continue whoever is elected President after Mr. Aquino. “After all, I’ve been known as Mr. Congeniality,” Villar quipped.