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.

He was born to a simple family on December 13, 1949 in Moriones, Tondo, Maynila. His father, Manuel Montalban Villar, Sr., a government employee, hailed from Cabanatuan , Iloilo and his mother Curita Bamba, a seafood dealer, came from Pampanga and Bataan . Manny is a 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 believed in--"sipag at tiyaga."

Manny Villar is an innovator and champion for entrepreneurs, and a remarkable Representative and Senator. Despite his numerous accomplishments and heroism, he 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.