Decongesting the Capital Region is Doable
Many of you, perhaps, are wondering why I am developing Villar City south of Metro Manila. Some of you may be even skeptical about its success and think that it is too late in the game to create a new city.
But I am a dreamer and nothing will stop me from dreaming for a better community, a better city and a better life for our fellow Filipinos.
I rose from poverty and experienced hardships on my way to earning a college degree. Anybody who works hard deserves better and Villar City aims to provide the working man or woman a conducive environment to fulfill his or her dream.
I empathize with our workers who endure two or three hours of travel time—one way—to reach their office and workplace. The traffic congestion in Metro Manila is getting worse because more and more people are migrating to the national capital region. A growing population increases the pressure on the environment and raises the demand for basic services, jobs, infrastructure, land and affordable housing. And I don’t see the traffic congestion in Metro Manila improving, despite the construction of more toll roads.
I have envisioned that the only way to improve the traffic situation and, thus, improve the quality of life in the capital region is through decongestion. We need to create a new or satellite city and generate jobs away from the gridlock. There were too many errors with the development of urban areas in the past, which the Villar City seeks to rectify.
Being in the real estate industry for so long, I want to take property development to the next level and provide Filipinos with the best that the Villar Group can offer.
This landmark development will be a legacy project of my Villar Group. It will be a culmination of all the best practices, the valuable learnings, insights and expertise that we’ve gained from being in the business of real estate over the decades.
Spanning 3,500 hectares across 14 cities and towns in Metro Manila and portions of Cavite, Villar City will create a new center of growth and development. The masterplanned Villar City will be composed of self-sustaining districts or urban centers, such as a modern central business district, a tech valley and a university town, among others.
In keeping with the mandate of the United Nations under its Social Development Goals to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable, the Villar City will provide access to safe, affordable and accessible transport systems for all. It will have inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces as well.
This multifaceted, multifunctional development will be in a class of its own. We’ve seen such communities abroad and we hope to have it also here, to be experienced by our fellow Filipinos. Villar City will serve as the central urban area that will have satellite centers or districts that, on their own, are already self-contained, self-sufficient neighborhoods. It will also be a premier lifestyle hub, set amid verdant landscapes with some one million trees.
My family recently led the opening of Villar Avenue, a 9.5-kilometer road that will serve as the main artery of Villar City. This road aims to improve connectivity among cities in the metro and Cavite, while helping generate jobs, open up more opportunities and pave the way for growth and expansion. The opening of Villar Avenue will seamlessly connect the 15 satellite cities comprising the Villar City.
The city project will become the “new center of gravity” of Metro Manila. It seeks to be a thriving center where economic, lifestyle, cultural and leisure activities will converge.
We have masterplanned Villar City in such a way that once the groundwork has been laid, our vision and dreams for this emerging urban area will be irreversible. But at the same time, we will ensure that there will be enough room for flexibility, so we can cater to the market changes in the future.
It’s a massive project, it’s ambitious, and I know that the development of Villar City will extend beyond my lifetime, but I believe this is my legacy and I’m willing to bet big on it. It’s my way of bringing the beauty and greatness of the world closer to more Filipinos.
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