Real estate magnate Manuel B. Villar Jr. has emerged as the only Filipino in Bloomberg’s top 100 richest, placing 99th in the global Billionaire Index with a net worth of $23.1 billion.

Villar’s wealth rose by $617 million or 2.7 percent from a year ago, driven by his real estate holdings and property ventures.

Villar is the founder of Golden MV Holdings, the largest death care company in the country, which has been renamed Villar Land Holdings Corporation. The company is presently developing a massive 3,500-hectare estate. Villar and his children control around 89 percent of the publicly listed firm, with stakes held through entities such as Fine Properties and Cambridge Group.

Villar also founded Vista Land & Lifescapes, the Philippines’ largest homebuilder. He holds a 70 percent stake in the company, including shares through Fine Properties and Althorp Holdings. His other businesses include Vistamalls, home-improvement chain AllHome Corp., and supermarket operator AllDay Marts.

Diversified business

Ports and casino tycoon Enrique K. Razon Jr. also made it to Bloomberg’s top 500 richest. He ranked 239th with a total net worth of $12.3 billion, up $2.96 billion from a year ago.

Razon chairs International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI), a Manila-based cargo operator that posted $2.7 billion in revenue in 2024. He owns 51 percent of ICTSI, directly and through three holding firms — Bravo International Port Holdings, Razon Group Shareholdings and Achillion Holdings.

He also owns 65 percent of Bloomberry Resorts, which runs the Solaire Resort & Casino in Manila and two other resorts in the Philippines and South Korea. Bloomberry earned about $1 billion in 2023.

Beyond gaming and ports, Razon owns 52 percent of Manila Water Co., which serves over seven million people, and 67 percent of Apex Mining, a gold producer.

Razon’s non-public assets and investments are valued at $2.8 billion, including projects in mining and infrastructure across the Philippines and Iraq, and $300 million in US oil and gas assets.