Manny Villar Tops Forbes’ 2025 List of Richest Filipinos With $17.2B Net Worth

Real estate tycoon Manny Villar is officially the richest Filipino in Forbes’ 2025 Billionaires List, rising to the 117th spot globally with an estimated net worth of $17.2 billion. This is a significant jump from his $6.2 billion valuation in 2024.

The 75-year-old Villar is the chairman of Vista Land & Lifescapes, with major holdings in Golden MV Holdings. Forbes highlighted his real estate empire, now managed by his son, Manuel Paolo Villar.

He surpassed Enrique Razon Jr., the chairman of ICTSI, who ranked second among Filipinos with $10.9 billion, and San Miguel Corporation chief Ramon Ang, who came in third with $3.7 billion.

Next in the rankings were Lucio Tan ($3B), and the Sy siblings, heirs to the SM empire:

• Henry Sy Jr. – $2.3B

• Hans Sy – $2.2B

• Herbert Sy – $2.1B

• Harley Sy and Teresita Sy-Coson – $1.9B each

• Elizabeth Sy – $1.7B

Also making the list were:

• Andrew Tan of Alliance Global – $1.6B

• Lucio and Susan Co of Puregold – $1.4B and $1.3B

• Tony Tan Caktiong of Jollibee Foods – $1.3B

• Eusebio Tanco of STI Education – $1.2B

Globally, Elon Musk retained the top spot with a $342B fortune, followed by Mark Zuckerberg ($216B) and Jeff Bezos ($215B).

In total, 15 Filipinos joined the list of 3,028 billionaires worldwide, marking a new record. The U.S. leads with 902 billionaires, followed by China and India.

Forbes also gave a nod to Donald Trump, citing his return to the presidency and strategic crypto investments, which reportedly doubled his wealth to $5.1 billion.