By GMA Integrated News
Real estate magnate Manuel “Manny” Villar Jr. led 15 Filipinos who were included in the Forbes’ Billionaires 2025 list.
Ranked 117 overall, the 75-year old businessman saw his wealth grow to $6.2-billion from 2024 now has a net worth of $17.2-billion as of April 1, 2025, according to Forbes. He placed 3rd among the wealthiest Filipinos in 2024.
The richest person in the world is Elon Musk who has a net worth of $342-billion.
The publication identifies Villar, a former lawmaker and presidential aspirant, as “the chairman of property developer Vista Land & Lifescapes run by his son Manuel Paolo”. His biggest asset is his stake in Golden MV Holdings (formerly Golden Bria).
Villar’s wife Cynthia and son Mark are senators with Cynthia running for the congressional post of Las Piñas City, while his daughter Camille is vying for a seat in the Senate.
Villar was followed by International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) chair Enrique Razon Jr. with a $10.9-billion net worth, making him the 227th richest person in the world.
The third richest Filipino on the list was San Miguel Corp. (SMC) chairman Ramon Ang with a $3.7-billion net worth. He was listed as the 979th richest across the globe.
Coming in at fourth is 90-year old Lucio Tan was the world’s 1,219th richest person is the fourth wealthiest in the Philippines. The founder and chairman of LT Group is estimated to have a net worth of $3-billion.
Following on their heels are the Sy siblings— Henry Sy Jr. ($2.3-billion) who is co-vice chairman of SM Investments, a conglomerate founded by his late father, Henry Sy Sr., Hans Sy ($2.2-billion), Herbert Sy ($2.1-billion), Harley Sy ($1.9-billion), Teresita Sy-Coson ($1.9-billion) and Elizabeth Sy ($1.7-billion).
Next is Andrew Tan, the chairman of Alliance Global, who is valued at $1.6-billion and continues lead a holding company with interests in food and beverage, gaming, hospitality and real estate.
Also part of the list are Lucio Co and his wife Susan, who control and run Puregold Price Club, a chain of supermarkets they cofounded in 1998, who have a net worth of $1.4-billion and $1.3 billion, respectively.
Jollibee Foods Corp. (JFC) chairman and founder Tony Tan Caktiong was ranked 2,479th globally with $1.3 billion. The group’s brands include Chowking, Greenwich, Red Ribbon, Mang Inasal, Burger King, Dunkin’ Donuts, and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, among others.
Rounding out the list of Pinoys with a net worth of $1.2-billion is STI Education Systems Holdings chair Eusebio Tanco who runs an educational institution with 63 schools across the Philippines, about 40% of which are franchised.
Rounding up the top 3 are Musk’s fellow Americans, Meta's Mark Zuckerberg with $216-billion and Jeff Bezos of Amazon who has a net worth of P215-billion.
Forbes said 3,028 entrepreneurs, investors and heirs make up this year’s ranking of billionaires, 247 more than a year ago.
Among these, the U.S. has a record 902 billionaires, followed by China (516, including Hong Kong) and India (205). Of this number, 406 are women.
Forbes also took special note of U.S. President Donald Trump: "Few billionaires have had a better year thanDonald Trump—and not just because he retook the U.S. presidency. Before moving back into the White House, he padded his cash pile with a very lucrative move into crypto. Between that and his Trump Media & Technology Group going public just afterForbeslocked in its 2024 rankings, the president’s net worth has more than doubled, from an estimated $2.3 billion to an estimated $5.1 billion." —RF, GMA Integrated News
