MANNY VILLAR


MANNY VILLAR INTERVIEW

Transcript of interview in DZMM Dos Por Dos with Anthony Taberna & Gerry Baja with Nacionalista Party President Sen. Manny Villar

Senate of the Philippines, 15th Congress
Press Release, February 3, 2009
http://www.senate.gov.ph/press_release/2009/0203_villar2.asp

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Q: Totoo ho ba na kayo ay nag-aagawan sa pagka-Ilonggo ni Sen.Mar Roxas?

Villar: Hindi naman, ang tatay ko naman talaga ay taga-Iloilo at very proud naman ako na masabing mga kababayan ko ay mga taga-Iloilo,mga kasimanwa. Alam mo kasi yung tatay ko medyo mahirap lang, napilitang pumunta sa Tondo para makipagsapalaran. Pero lahat ng aming mga kamag-anak at ninuno taga-diyan sa Iloilo. Kaya napagkakamalan na nag-aagawan pero pareho naman kaming nagmamalaki na mga Ilonggo kami.

Q : Yung tatay nyo ho pala ang taga-Iloilo...

Villar: Alam mo kasi noong panahon ng kahirapan sa Iloilo City, napilitan siyang pumunta rito sa Maynila. Doon niya nga nakilala ang nanay ko, kaya ako'y pinanganak sa Tondo. Pero ako naman bagamat very proud ako na pinanganak sa Tondo ay hindi ko nakakalimutan ang aking bayan talaga, dito sa Cabatuan sa Iloilo.

Q : Pinatutsadahan pa raw kayo na hindi kayo marunong mag-Ilonggo?

Villar: Hindi naman ako ano roon, inaamin ko na dala ng kahirapan ay hindi ako nagkaroon ng pagkakataong makapag-lipat-lipat at yan naman ay alam ng buong bayan. Alam mo kasi pag mahirap ka ni pambayad nga sa eroplano ay wala ka. Kaya kahit gustong gusto ko sana na iyang dalawang bayan ay aking mapuntahan ng madalas noong ako'y bata, pero dala ng kahirapan ay hindi ko nagawa.

Q: So anong pagkakaiba nyo ho, Ilonggo kayong dalawa?

Villar: Wala naman siguro, mayaman lang ang kanyang ama at mahirap lang ang akin.

Q : Yung isang mayaman at isang mahirap na Ilonggo. Yun lang pala.

Villar: Iyon naman ay aking ipinagmamalaki. Iyong mga kamag-anak ko doon ay hanggang ngayon ay tinutulungan ko pa lahat. Medyo marami rin naman at medyo hindi nga nakakaahon pa,sinasabi ko nga sa kanila na balang araw ay makakaahon din kami lahat doon.

Q: So pareho palang Ilonggo, magkaiba lang ng kalagayan sa buhay. Walang agawan sa pagiging Ilonggo.

Villar: Si Sen. Mar naman ay taga-Capiz, tabi naman ng Iloilo.

Q: Senator yun ho namang pagiging Mr.Palengke ay hindi nyo ho naman pinag-aagawan?

Villar: Ako naman ay nagtinda sa palengke ng buong buhay ko, nagkataon lang naman na pinanganak ako sa Tondo, squatter tayo noong araw eh. Hanapbuhay ng aking nanay yung magtinda ng hipon sa palengke. Labing-isang taong gulang pa lamang ako ay sa palengke na kami nagtitinda araw-araw. Kapag alas-onse ng gabi ay nagpupunta kami sa Divisoria at bumibili kami ng dalawang banyerang hipon at iyon ay aming itinitinda, hanggang mapag-aral namin ang mga kapatid ko.

Q: Si Gerry ho kinukulit ako ano raw ang ho ang ipinagkaiba niyo bilang Mr. Palengke?

Villar: Hindi ko alam kung ano ang kuneksyon pero siguro yun ay nung siya ay nagtatrabaho sa Dept. of Trade. Yung akin namang pagka-palengke ay talaga kasing doon ako lumaki. In fact last week lang ay dinalaw ko ang aking mga kasamahan doon. Maganda pa rin naman bagamat hirap ang buhay. Dinala ko nga ang aking anak dun,si Camille para makita nya ang aking buhay doon sa palengke at natuwa naman siya na nagkaroon ako ng pagkakataon na maipasyal siya dun sa Divisoria na kinalakihan ng kanyang tatay.

Q: Ngayon po ay lumalawak ang pagtutol para gamitin ng pamahalaan ang pondo ng GSIS, ng Pag-ibig Fund dito sa stimulus package na iginayak ng administrasyon.

Villar: Palagay ko ay sapat naman ang pera ng gobyerno at hindi naman kailangang galawin pa iyan. Ito namang mga institusyon na ito ay may sariling programa, kagaya halimbawa ng Pag-Ibig, ituloy lang nila ang pagpapautang sa pabahay okay na iyan. Doon naman sa SSS, GSIS, kung may magagandang investment ay puwede naman nilang bilhin din iyan at puwede nilang bigyan ng pera ang mga industriya na nagbibigay ng maraming employment sa ating mga kababayan pero hindi iyong basta na lamang magpapasigla n gating ekonomiya. Sa ating budget naman ay merong pera para diyan at meron tayong sapat na gagastusin para pasiglahin ang ating ekonomiya sa pamamagitan ng mga infrastructure projects at kung kinakailangan, ang mga kumpanya na iyan.

Q: Nag-aalala ang mga SMEs kung ano ang pwedeng gawin ng pamahalaan para magpatuloy ang kanilang existence.

Villar: Ito nga ang nais nating sabihin sana sa ating pamahalaan, kokonti lang talaga kasi sa kanila ang taus-pusong tumutulong sa maliliit na magtitinda at nagsasarili. Ang totoo niyan ay sa mga infrastructure na programa nila, parang wala akong nakikita na magkakaroon ng malakihang pagsuporta sa mga maliliit na negosyanteng Pinoy, iyong mga tindero at tindera sa palengke. Sila kasi ang nakikita kong magpapasigla ng ekonomiya ng ating bansa, iyong milyung-milyong Pilipino na nagsasarili ay mabigyan ng suporta sa pamamagitan ng pagpapautang at pagtuturo sa kanila ng dapat gawin. Magkaroon sana ng malakihang suporta para atin pong nagsasariling mga kababayan at iyong hindi makakahanap ng trabaho na gustong magsarili ay dapat suportahan. Iyong pondo na kakailanganin nila ay pwedeng manggaling sa stimulus fund at hindi naman ito masyadong malaki. Nakikita ko na sa ilang bilyong piso lamang ay malaking bagay na para pasiglahin ang ating maliliit na nagsasariling mga negosyanteng Pinoy.

Q: Ang nakikita po ninyo ay ang pagpapautang ng gobyerno sa mga maliliit na negosyante?

Villar: Para ang pondo ay dumaloy sa kanila at mapasigla ang kanilang maliliit na hanap-buhay. Marami kasing negosyong maliliit na nangangailangan ng tulong ng working capital, hindi lumalaki. Ito pa naman ang napakaganda dahil ito ay napakarami at diretso sa ating mga mamamayan at hindi parang masyadong malayo. Ito ay talagang makakarating agad sa bituka at magkakaroon ng tunay na pagsigla ang ating ekonomiya at diretso ang tulong sa mga mahihirap.

Q: Maraming OFWs na napapauwi, meron pa sigurong dalang konting pera iyan kung may naipon pa at iisipin nila ay saan kaya dadalhin ito?

Villar: Sa mga OFW, marami din sa kanila ang gustong magsarili. Kaya diyan pwedeng tulungan sila. Mangangailangan din ng working capital ang karamihan diyan. Diyan tayo pwedeng pumasok bagamat syempre kailangang ituloy natin ang pag-alalay sa mga OFW dahil sila naman talaga ang bumubuhay sa ating ekonomiya.

Q: Meron nang pagkilos ngayon ang mga partido pulitikal, ang Lakas at Kampi ay nakikipag-usap na daw po sa NPC at sinasabing ang magiging common candidate nila ay si Chiz Escudero. Ang Nacionalista saan po nakikipag-negosasyon?

Villar: Kami naman ay naniniwala na sa darating na halalan ay magkakaroon ng ekspresyon ang ating mga mamamayan ng kanilang tunay na nasa saloob. Dito ay hindi ko masyadong binibigyan ng halaga ang mga partido sapagkat bilang isang dating Speaker at Senate president, naiintindihan naman natin ang sentimyento ng mga local officials at sa tamang panahon ay mamimili sila kung sino ang gusto nilang maging pangulo at hindi kung sino ang dala ng kanilang partido.

Q: Totoo po ba na kayo ay nakikipag-negosasyon kay Kabayang Noli? Kukunin ninyo siyang VP candidate?

Villar: Wala namang negosasyon. Kami ni Kabayan ay matalik na magkaibigan at pareho kaming miyembro ng Wednesday Club. Kapag kami ay nagmi-meeting, nagkikita-kita ay nagsasaya lang. Ang totoo niyan, hindi namin pinag-uusapan iyan. Ang napapagkasunduan lang namin ay hindi kami mag-aaway. Ano man ang mangyari ay hindi kami mag-aaway. Hindi naman namin alam kung magpe-presidential election nga. Hindi namin alam kung may eleksyon. Subalit ang mahalaga, ang magkaibigan ay magkaibigan.

Q: Hindi n'yo ba niyayaya si Kabayan ng sumali sa NP?

Villar: Sa tamang panahon naman, ang magkaibigan ay mag-uusap. Nakikita lang namin na maaaring ang panahon ngayon ay hindi pa tamang panahon. Subalit syempre normally ang nag-uusap diyan ay ang magkakaibigan muna.

Q: Bilang isang negosyante, ano ang maaari ninyong gawin para mapabuti an gating ekonomiya kung nahalal na pangulo?

Villar: Ang pagpapalaki ng ekonomiya ay nasa isang tao na may karanasan sa pagpapalaki niyan. Maraming mga theory na nababasa natin sa libro subalit ang tunay na makakapagpalaki ng ekonomiya ay iyong talagang naging players sa ekonomiya natin. Kaya iyong natuto ka sa business halimbawa, alam mo ang pangangilangan ng business sector at alam mo kung paano palalakihin ang business sector na nagbibigay ng maraming trabaho para sa ating mga kababayan... Para magawa mo iyan, hindi puwedeng parang ikaw ay nagbabasa lang ng libro. Kinakailangan din na ikaw ay nakagawa na rin ng ganyan.


Source: http://www.senate.gov.ph/press_release/2009/0203_villar2.asp


MANNY VILLAR BIOGRAPHY
Manny Villar Biography

Senate of the Philippines, 15th Congress
http://www.senate.gov.ph/senators/sen_bio/villar_bio.asp

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Manny Villar was born to humble beginnings in Moriones, Tondo, Manila. His father, Manuel Montalban Villar, Sr., hailed from Cabatuan, Iloilo and his mother Curita Bamba came from Orani, Bataan.

At an early age, he helped his mother sell seafood at the Divisoria market in order to support his siblings and himself to school. With the burning desire for a better future and strong determination to improve his family’s lives, Manny finished his studies at the University of the Philippines (UP) where he earned his Bachelor’s and Masters’ degrees in Business Administration. He started his professional career as an accountant and financial analyst for prominent corporations before venturing into his own business.

Armed with an initial capital of only P10,000 and a solid determination to succeed, Manny went on to establish the largest homebuilding company in the country today.

Manny Villar received several awards including the Ten Outstanding Young Men in 1986, Agora Award for Marketing Management in 1989, Most Outstanding CPA by the Institute of Certified Public Accountants in 1990, and Most Outstanding UP Alumnus in 1991. In 2004, Manny Villar was named the Most Distinguished Alumnus—the highest recognition given by the University of the Philippines — for his exemplary public service and achievements.

In 1992, he entered politics and was elected Congressman of Las Pinas and Muntinlupa for three terms in a row, consistently posting landslide victories. In 1998, he was chosen Speaker of the House of Representatives.

He was elected Senator of the Republic in the year 2001. In July 2006, with the staunch support of a majority of his colleagues, he assumed the Senate Presidency during the third regular session of the 13th Congress. He has previously held the position of Senate President Pro-tempore and the chairmanship of the Committees on Finance, Foreign Relations, Public Order, and Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries.

Manny Villar is the first post-war public official who became both Speaker of the House of Representatives and Senate President.

He is the President of the Nacionalista Party—the country’s grandest political party.

Manny Villar dreams to help and inspire Filipinos to fulfill their dreams thru hard work and determination (Sipag at Tiyaga) – the same values that helped him conquer poverty and succeed in life.


Source: http://www.senate.gov.ph/senators/sen_bio/villar_bio.asp


SENATE PRESIDENT MANNY VILLAR
Senate President Manny Villar

Senate of the Philippines, 15th Congress
http://www.senate.gov.ph/senators/senpres/villar.asp

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Manny Villar

The public life of Manny Villar straddles both the worlds of business and politics. He is one of the few who managed to excel in both.

Working Student

He was born to a simple family on December 13, 1949 in Moriones, Tondo, Manila. His father, Manuel Montalban Villar, Sr., a government employee, hailed from Cabatuan, Balazan, and Tanza, Iloilo and his mother Curita Bamba, a seafood dealer, came from Pampanga and Bataan. Manny is the second child in a brood of nine. At a very young age, he was already helping his mother sell shrimp and fish in the Divisoria Market. With the burning desire for a better future and a strong determination to improve his family’s living conditions, Manny worked hard in selling shrimps and fish to be able to send himself to school.

“I learned from my mother what it takes to be an entrepreneur, “ he revealed. “And it means working really hard to achieve your dreams.” In Divisoria, he marveled at the volume of sales that Chinese merchants were making, thus he vowed early on to become an entrepreneur.

Hard work, persistence, and perseverance became his guiding principles in life. This earned him the title “Mr. Sipag at Tiyaga.”

He continues to inspire Filipinos with his life story and encourages each and every kababayan to improve their quality of life and fulfill their dreams through the very values he believes in -- “sipag at tiyaga.”

Entrepreneur

Manny Villar was a working student at the University of the Philippines, the premier institution of higher learning in the country, where he obtained his undergraduate and master’s degree in business administration and accountancy. By then, he was also putting in long hours as fish and shrimp trader, where the action starts during the ungodly hours of the morning when the catch lands on the market.

After graduation, he tried his hand as an accountant at the country’s biggest accounting firm, Sycip Gorres and Velayo (SGV). He resigned shortly though to venture on his own seafood delivery business.

When a restaurant he was delivering stocks to did not pay him, he printed out “meal tickets” which he persuaded the restaurant owners to honor. He then sold these tickets at a discounted price to office workers. It took him one year to liquidate his receivables.

He worked briefly as a financial analyst at the Private Development Corporation of the Philippines. His job was to sell World Bank loans, despite the attractive rates of which there were no takers. Convinced that he could make it on his own again, he quit his job and promptly availed of one of the loans.

So with an initial capital of P10,000 in 1975, Villar purchased two reconditioned trucks and started his sand-and-gravel business in Las Piñas.

Housing Innovator

It is here while delivering construction materials to big developers that Manny Villar came up with the idea of selling house and lot packages when the convention then was for homeowners to buy lots and build on them.

Manny Villar became the housing industry leader, and the biggest homebuilder in Southeast Asia, having built more than 100,000 houses for the poor and middle class Filipino families.

He then initiated mass housing projects to achieve economies of scale. His various innovations practically created the country’s mass housing industry. The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism calls him “the dean of the (Philippine) real estate industry.”

Awards and Distinctions

For his business achievements, he was made cover story in the Far Eastern Economic Review. And his life story was also featured in Asiaweek, Forbes, AsiaMoney and Asian Business Review.

He garnered various awards such as the Ten Outstanding Young Men Award (1986) by the Philippine Jaycees, Agora Award for Outstanding Achievement in Marketing Management (1989), Most Outstanding CPA by the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (1990) and Most Outstanding UP Alumnus (1991).

Political Career

In a stunning political debut in 1992, Villar won with the most overwhelming mandate among congressmen in Metro Manila. He promptly applied his economic and managerial expertise as a key member of the House’s economic team, marshalling in economic reform measures of the Ramos Administration such as the New Foreign Investments Act and the restructuring of the Central Bank of the Philippines. He was the House representative in the government’s negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington D.C. in 1992.

He also oversaw various infrastructure projects in his districts like the construction of concrete roads and the Alabang-Zapote Flyover. He introduced the “Friendship Route” to ease the traffic problems in southern Manila by persuading subdivision homeowners to open up their roads to the general public.

He succeeded in passing Republic Act 8003 “Declaring Certain Areas in Las Piñas as Tourist Spots”. The law formalized his program of rehabilitating historical and cultural landmarks in Las Piñas starting with the world-famous Bamboo Organ Church. The ongoing project dubbed as “Las Piñas Historical Corridor” covers the stretch of the Old District and may even rival the Intramuros and Vigan restoration projects.

A staunch environmentalist, he initiated a privately funded tree planting drive in his district. He developed a P10-million tree nursery beside his home. He also quietly led a dedicated tree-planting drive complete with maintenance and watering of tree seedlings planted in the open spaces of the community.

When he realized that many poor students could not go to school because they do not even have fare money, he organized the “Manpower on Wheels” Program, a livelihood training school housed in a van that makes the rounds in depressed areas. The program has since produced more than 5,000 graduates and has been awarded by various government and civic organizations for its innovative scheme.

During his first term, he steered Las Piñas and Muntinlupa to cityhood. “As a developer, I have always envisioned these two communities as the ‘Twin Cities of the South’ of Manila. In fact, Las Piñas and Muntinlupa are the two fastest growing communities in the country today, he pointed out.”

For his constituency work and personal vow, he extended grants of home sites to some 10,000 poor families in Barangay CAA, Las Piñas City. Two major roads were also opened in his district; the Sucat-Pulanglupa Link Road to Parañaque and the Zapote-Molino (Daang Hari) Link Road to Cavite, thus alleviating the traffic congestion in the area.

During his second term, he was able to upgrade the Las Piñas District Hospital with a new building and better facilities. He also launched the “Sagip-Bukas” Drug Prevention Program on all the private and public schools of Las Piñas to educate the youth about the dangers of drug abuse. He also nationalized the Las Piñas High School to upgrade its facilities.

By the end of his second term of office, Villar had already proven beyond doubt his capacity for excellence as a true Filipino entrepreneur and a brilliant public servant who can get things done.

Champion for Entrepreneurs

In 1995, Manny Villar ran for re-election and won an unprecedented 142,000 votes, the highest number of votes for a congressman in the entire country. Winning media acclaim as an outstanding congressman as well as the respect and recognition of his peers, he was elected to chair the Committee on Entrepreneurship.

As one of the leading entrepreneurs in the country, he championed the cause of small and medium-sized enterprises. He authored and passed into law the landmark New Magna Carta for Small and Medium Enterprises (RA 8289). He initiated creative legislation such as establishment of the Small and Medium Enterprises Stock Exchange and Business One-Stop-Shop centers, the latter he immediately implemented in Las Piñas City with the help of local officials.

Speaker of the House

It was no surprise then to those in the know when he gained the remarkable acclaim of 171 of 220 congressmen as the Speaker of the 11th Congress of the House of Representatives.

In a time when the country is slowly recovering from a host of economic and political crises, the election of the ‘brown taipan’ at the helm of Congress signaled a watershed event in the Philippine political history. The rise of Manny Villar ushered in a new consensus of leadership based on managerial skills and not simply on oratory and rhetoric.

By his first year in office, Villar undertook three pathbreaking reforms. He succeeded in marshalling consensus in the House to reform the ‘pork barrel’ system by limiting congressional discretion projects to the set parameters of the Executive’s development policies. Secondly, he launched a revamp of leadership by appointing at least seven neophyte congressmen to head powerful committees like ecology and banks. Finally, he set a strong and principled stance on environment protection legislation with the passage of the “Clean Air Act”, a measure that for more than ten years three previous congresses were not able to pass.On his second year in office, Manny Villar steered the 11th Congress into a record-breaking achievement in legislation and economic reforms. Among the pioneering measures he shepherded into law were the Retail Trade Liberization Act, the New Central Bank Act, the New Securities Code, and the New Banking Act.

On November 13, 2000, he became the first House Speaker in Philippine history to impeach a President, paving the way for the elevation of the articles of impeachment to the Senate.

Senator of the Republic

In the national elections held last May 14, 2001, despite being a relative newcomer in national politics, Manny Villar posted one of the most impressive showings in the national polls. On his first day in office, he filed 204 bills covering a comprehensive legislative program of action— the first among neophyte senators and the third highest filer among the senators of the 12th Congress of the Philippines.

After being elected by his colleagues, he assumed the position of Senate President Pro-Tempore, the second to the highest post in the higher Chamber of Congress. He is presently the Chairman of the Committee on Finance and the Committee on Public Order and Illegal Drugs. He is also the Vice Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations and Committee on Agriculture. He authored 44 laws during the 12th Congress, among them are: RA 9178 Barangay Micro Business Enterprises Act, RA 9189 Overseas Absentee Voting Act, RA 9208 Anti-Trafficking of Persons Act, RA 9257 An Act Granting Additional Benefits and Privileges to Senior Citizens, and RA 9262 Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act. He has filed Bills aimed at providing business opportunities for the people and improving the Filipinos’ quality of life through basic health care, decent shelters, responsive social services, and high quality education.

Outside the Senate’s halls, Villar actively sponsors Sipag at Tiyaga Caravan Kaalaman, a livelihood training program that provide 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 consistently 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.

In February 2004, he was elected as President of the Nacionalista Party—the country’s oldest and grandest political party. He was also named the Most Distinguished UP Alumnus—the highest recognition given by the UP Alumni Association—for his exemplary public service and achievements.

Senator Manny Villar, despite his numerous accomplishments and heroism, has remained simple and unaffected. A true family man, he is a devoted husband to Rep. Cynthia A. Villar (Lone District of Las Piñas), and a loving father to sons Paolo and Mark and daughter Camille.


Source: http://www.senate.gov.ph/senators/senpres/villar.asp