Villar City picks up pace, marks new milestones
A once lofty vision is now fast gaining ground as the new center of gravity in Metro South.
The 3,500-hectare Villar City, the Villar Group’s most ambitious project to date, recently marked two significant milestones that show how much ground this rising megacity has covered over the last three years since its launch in 2023.
Villar Group chairman Manuel B. Villar Jr. was joined by Villar Land COO Mary Lee S. Sadiasa and Villar City division head Engr. Allan James Santos in the unveiling of the University Town District street marker and the ribbon-cutting ceremony, which formally opened The Stadium at Villar City.
A legacy
“This will be our legacy,” Villar said of this massive megacity, which spans 13 cities and town across Metro South. “All of the things that we’ve built in the past 50 years culminate here. We have lots of plans, which we improve continuously. Every time we discuss, we come up with different ideas and concepts. We are now building at a faster pace.”
In a separate interview, Villar told Inquirer Property that he was pleased to see plans for Villar City finally taking shape.
He cited as an example the 150-ha University Town District, which will be home to the Technology and Innovation Campus of the University of the Philippines (UP), his alma mater, and The Stadium at Villar City, one of the megacity’s newest destinations.
The 5-ha UP Dasmariñas campus, which is currently under construction, is expected to bring research facilities and academic programs that go beyond traditional classroom learning. Once completed, it is expected to serve not only students within the district but also families living across and near Villar City’s own expanding residential communities.
Personal significance
Having a UP campus in Villar City carries a personal significance for Villar. As an alumnus, he credited the university with teaching him to dream bigger and aim higher, values that have stayed with him throughout his career.
For Villar, bringing UP closer to communities in the South is also about giving more students access to the kind of education and opportunities that helped shape his own journey.
“There’s still a lot more coming, and I believe this (city) will really become a destination. Also, University Town will not be about UP alone. There will also be (other institutions). This is really going to become a university district,” Villar said in an exclusive interview.
“We also now have a world-class football field here. This is the kind of standard I want for Villar City. I want everything here to be world-class… I want to build a complete city that can serve as a model city for the country, with the clear goal of raising the quality of life for Filipinos,” he further shared.
Leisure destination
Villar is especially proud of The Stadium at Villar City, a 30,000-sqm multi-sport complex that was first announced in September 2024. It is anchored by a 3,000-seat football stadium with a FIFA-standard pitch and will soon include facilities for basketball, volleyball, padel, pickleball and badminton.
The Stadium gives Villar City another reason to draw people in, helping turn the megacity into a premier leisure and recreational destination in Metro South.
Besides this facility, Villar City is also adding two 18-hole championship golf courses. In January last year, the Villar Group said it was moving forward with the project as it tapped US-based Curley-Wagner Golf Design for the first course.
Steady progress
Villar City’s recent milestones build on a series of projects introduced since it was unveiled in August 2023.
Its launch came with the formal opening of Villar Avenue, one of the main arteries of the emerging city, and the acquisition of the 4-km Muntinlupa-Cavite Expressway through Prime Asset
Ventures Inc. Forresta Cafe opened in December 2023, giving the 119-ha Forresta an early lifestyle destination, while Brittany Hotel Villar City began welcoming guests in March 2024. Spread across Villar City are Vista malls, lifestyle centers and concept restaurants by the group.
Districts like Evia and SOMO are already thriving while more are set to be built in the coming years. Residential developments like Novus Prime Residences and Siena, both within Villar City, were among the latest projects to be launched, meant to cater to the growing demand for prime residences in Metro South.
Villar City may still be a work in progress, but every new opening only strengthens its claim on the future of Metro South.
