BY RUELLE ALBERT D. CASTRO
[ Malaya.com.ph] July 7, 2011
It’s just 700 or so days to June 30, 2013, and Sen. Manuel Villar is looking forward to the end of his second six-year term so he can go back to what he does best: developing raw land and building houses.
Villar said by 2013, he would be 21 years in politics and that’s long enough. He is raring to go back to business, focusing on consolidating and expanding his flagship brand Vista Land and Lifescape Inc.
"Two years na lang ako," Villar said.
Villar bid goodbye to his Camella Homes and Palmera Homes development in 1992 for a successful run for the lone seat of Las Piñas in the House. He spent the maximum three three-year terms there, becoming Speaker in 1998, before winning a seat in the Senate in 2001.
He was re-elected in 2007 and made an unsuccessful run for the presidency in 2010.
Villar said Vista Land is expecting to make its presence felt in 70 municipalities by next year, after targeting to close the current year with 58 towns.
He said the same recipe that drove Vista Land to success – affordable homes in a wholesome environment – will ensure the company’s growth.
Villar said the company’s land bank is so diversified that Vista Land can tap into any market appropriate for the demand.
"Metro Manila has only 20 percent of the population," he said.
Villar, however, said Vista Land recognizes the opportunities in the condominium market.
"We (also) will continue to improve on our verticals," he said.
Villar said Vista Land is also beefing up it rental space as the company moves closer to its target of P1 billion revenue from the leasing business.
Commercial, business process outsourcing and office spaces remain a premium, he said.
The group, moreover, is looking into power and water distribution, mining and other "sunrise industries," Villar said.
The mining business of the Villar Group is handled by Polar Holdings Corp., an acquisition.
Villar also said the group might venture abroad as well, targeting countries where his group’s expertise can add value.
Vista Land’s business is grouped around the subsidiaries Brittany, Crown Asia, Camella and Vista Residences.
Among its latest projects is the 300-hectare Sta. Elena development in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, at a cost of P5 billion.
The site will be devoted to neighborhood centers, commercial developments and BPO and offices.
Camella, the original brand which laid the backbone for the Villar Group business, is aggressively expanding into key locations nationwide.
Among the areas where it is targeting expansion are Ilocos Sur, La Union, Nueva Ecija, Bataan, Pampanga, Bulacan, Batangas, Quezon, Davao, Butuan, Agusan, Zamboanga and the Bicol provinces.
Vista has allocated P45 billion in capital expenditures from 2011 until 2013.
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