Manny And Cynthia Villar: A Heart For Art

The rise of Senator Manny Villar in the political firmament is one for the books. At some point, I remember his think tank people painting him as a rags-to-riches kind of a wonder boy. From very humble beginnings, his star zoomed – he became a mega real estate developer and before anybody could blink an eye, he surfaced as the handsomest member of the House of Representatives.

It’s written in his stars. In a mighty and brave stroke of fate, then House Speaker Manny Villar led the long, uninterrupted reading of the resolution that changed the fate of impeached President Joseph Estrada.

It’s not rare that the lifestyle of prominent public figures is not noticed or paid attention to, simply because that aspect is beclouded by their powerful moves and their less mundane preoccupations. Curiosity has always prompted this writer to poke into the private lifestyle not only of the new senator, but also of his newly elected wife, Congresswoman Cynthia Villar as a homemaker.

It took a man of the cloth, Fr. Roy Rosales, to sort of connect me to the important couple. And through his "divine" intervention, Cynthia and Manny relented. Their gracious staff squeezed us in the busy, sometimes criss-crossing, schedules of the nice couple so Talking Design now takes pride in presenting their not-so-private domain.

We say not-so-private because the Las Piñas abode of the couple is currently more of a headquarters than a simple, cozy home. After being given a tour of the maze-like place, this writer came to the conclusion that the Villar house just grew and grew out of necessity. One room was extended into a bigger one, and these were connected by corridors for easy access. The appeal of such an aggrupation is so reminiscent of the manner by which the late Rodney Cornejo created rooms and spaces in the houses and other places he designed. The realtors in the Villars enabled them to acquire bordering properties through purchase and swapping. In the present setup, the multi-hectare property has amenities for holding national conventions. On Manny’s 50th birthday, a huge dining hall was built with an umbrella-like roof charmingly thatched with anahaw fronds. Further down is another open-sided structure where hundreds of Monobloc chairs can be neatly arranged, proscenium style, if there’s a convention. One of the girls slipped and related that Erap held a meeting there on one occasion.

The Villars’ place in BF Resort houses the different kinds of staff who take care of the political and business concerns of the couple. One portion of the edifice shows a huge room with young men and women busy at their respective personal computers. Adjacent to this office is a lanai-like area furnished with chairs for people waiting to have an audience with the couple or transact business with the staff in charge.

Exploring the place as I waited for the couple’s arrival, I was reminded of the house of a former Rizal governor I went to many moons ago. The house could be described as cozy despite its hugeness. There are a number of rooms for the couple’s children and the public areas are furnished with durable pieces to accommodate the many visitors who stream into the house day after day.

When the Villar couple finally arrived, a couple of minutes after the other, the excitement began. I was not only disarmed by their friendliness. Immediately, it became apparent that they are dedicated in their career as public servants. And when I mentioned about the model sculpture that I just photographed, the couple bared their plans of making Las Piñas a real tourist destination.

Dick Gordon ought to see how Cynthia and Manny Villar have made their turf something of a tourist attraction in Las Piñas. Not only does Las Piñas have in its possession the world-renowned bamboo organ but there are also plans to slowly control the design approaches for the place so it could maintain its old-world ambience. This they intend to accomplish by getting people who will seriously implement requirements that will serve as a guideline for those drawing up their architectural plans prior to getting building permits.

Surprises have been proven to come in the end. Just when I thought I had seen enough, I was personally invited to take a look at the Villars’ library and private office. The instant I was ushered in, my eyes almost popped out of their sockets when a mural of the late Vicente Manansala depicting sugarcane harvest stared me in the eye. And as if that was not enough, on another wall, an oeuvre of the late Botong Francisco, likewise mural-sized, vied for attention.

Nonchalantly, Manny and Cynthia shared their treasured art works. Elsewhere unassumingly hanging on walls are smaller works of Fernando Amorsolo, Angelito Antonio, and Victorio Edades and some abstract paintings of younger Filipino artists. To the titles senator and congresswoman, please add art collector.

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