Villar, who was born to a poor family in Tondo, Manila and later founded mass housing giant Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc., topped the list that included 14 other Filipino dollar billionaires.
He was the only Filipino to be also included in the 200 richest people in the world at No. 190, according to Forbes.
The bulk of Villar’s fortune comes from listed Golden MV Holdings—a company valued in the stock market at nearly P700 billion with revenues of over P5 billion in 2022.
Enrique Razon Jr. is next richest Filipino with a fortune of $10 billion. Razon owns global ports operator International Container Terminal Services Inc. and casino giant Bloomberry Resorts Corp.
Ramon S. Ang, president of conglomerate San Miguel Corp.(SMC), was the country’s third-richest with a fortune of $3.5 billion. SMC is a food, drinks and infrastructure giant with annual revenues above P1 trillion.
Taking the next three slots were siblings Hans Sy ($2.6 billion), Henry Sy Jr. ($2.5 billion), and Herbert Sy ($2.5 billion). They hold key positions in banking, retail and property conglomerate SM Investments Corp.
Lucio Tan, the most senior billionaire in the list at 89-years-old, landed at No. 7 with a fortune of $2.5 billion. Tan is founder and chairman of LT group, which has interests in tobacco, spirits, banking and property development.
The next three slots were taken by billionaire siblings Harley Sy ($2.4 billion), Teresita Sy-Coson ($2.3 billion) and Elizabeth Sy ($2.1 billion). The siblings also hold key roles within SM Group while Coson remains chair of BDO Unibank, the Philippines’ biggest lender.
Andrew Tan was the 11th richest Filipino with a fortune of $2 billion. Tan owns Alliance Global Group, a property, liquor, casino and fast food conglomerate.
Next on the list is fast food tycoon Tony Tan Caktiong with a fortune of $1.4 billion. Caktiong founded Jollibee, the country’s biggest fast food chain that is making its global presence felt via an aggressive expansion program.
The next two slots were occupied by Lucio Co ($1.2 billion) and his wife Susan ($1.1 billion), the co-founders of the Puregold Price Club supermarket chain.
At No. 15 is Lance Gokongwei ($1.1 billion), the CEO of airlines, telecom, banking, food, power and property conglomerate JG Summit Holdings Inc.
Forbes ranked 2,781 global billionaires, who had a combined fortune of $14.1 trillion.
The richest man in the word was Bernard Arnault ($233 billion), who oversees the LVMH empire that controls brands such as Louis Vuitton and Sephora stores.
Rank | Name | Net Worth |
1 | Manuel Villar | $11 B |
2 | Enrique Razon Jr. | $10 B |
3 | Ramon Ang | $3.5 B |
4 | Hans Sy | $2.6 B |
5 | Henry Sy, Jr. | $2.5 B |
6 | Herbert Sy | $2.5 B |
7 | Lucio Tan | $2.5 B |
8 | Harley Sy | $2.4 B |
9 | Teresita Sy-Coson | $2.3 B |
10 | Elizabeth Sy | $2.1 B |
11 | Andrew Tan | $2 B |
12 | Tony Tan Caktiong | $1.4 B |
13 | Lucio Co | $1.2 B |
14 | Susan Co | $1.1 B |
15 | Lance Gokongwei | $1.1 B |
Miguel R. Camus has been a reporter covering various domestic business topics since 2009.
