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MANUEL B. VILLAR, Jr.

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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).

In 1992, Manny Villar entered another turn in his career when he decided to run for congressman in the lone district of Las Piñas and Muntinlupa. "Going into public service,' he said, 'seems natural because my business, low-cost housing, has a social dimension. It is a form of public service to make housing affordable to many of our people."

In a stunning political debut, Villar won with the most overwhelming mandate among Metro Manila congressmen. He promptly applied his economic and managerial expertise as a key member of the House's economic team, marshaling in economic reforms 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 in Washington, D.C., in 1992.

He also oversaw various infrastructure projects in his districts like concreting of numerous roads and building the Alabang-Zapote Flyover. He introduced the "Friendship Route" to alleviate the traffic problem 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 and Church. The on-going project, dubbed "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 his own privately-funded tree planting drive in his district. He developed a P10 million tree nursery besides his home and has quietly undertaken a dedicated tree-planting drive, complete with maintenance and watering of tree seedlings planted in the open spaces of the community.

During his first term, he steered Muntinlupa to cityhood to be followed by Las Piñas the following term. He pointed out: "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."

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