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(From left) Tycoons Manny Villar, Ricky Razon and Ramon Ang, as seen in photographs dated 2010, 2013 and 2014, respectively.
AFP, file photos
MANILA, Philippines — Tycoon Manny Villar is the richest Filipino entrepreneur and the 117th wealthiest person globally, according to the Forbes Billionaires List 2025, with a net worth of $17.2 billion (~P984.4 billion).
Forbes, which has compiled the list since 1987, ranked 3,028 billionaires worldwide this year, 247 more than in 2024. It includes entrepreneurs, investors and heirs.
“Not only are there more of them, but they’re richer than ever, worth $16.1 trillion in total — up nearly $2 trillion over 2024,” Forbes added.
Fifteen billionaires from the Philippines made it to the Forbes Billionaires List 2025. They are:
- Manuel Villar - $17.2 billion
- Enrique Razon Jr. - $10.9 billion
- Ramon Ang - $3.7 billion
- Lucio Tan - $3 billion
- Henry Sy, Jr. - $2.3 billion
- Hans Sy - $2.2 billion
- Herbert Sy - $2.1 billion
- Harley Sy - $1.9 billion
- Teresita Sy-Coson - $1.9 billion
- Elizabeth Sy - $1.7 billion
- Andrew Tan - $1.6 billion
- Lucio Co - $1.4 billion
- Susan Co - $1.3 billion
- Tony Tan Caktiong - $1.3 billion
- Eusebio Tanco - $1.2 billion
Forbes found that six of the top Filipino billionaires gained wealth over the past year, while eight saw a decline. Tanco, who chairs STI Education Systems Holdings and DigiPlus Interactive Corp., is a new addition to the list.
Among the top four wealthiest Filipinos — Villar, Razon, Ang and Tan — all saw an increase in net worth, as did spouses Lucio and Susan Co, who run Puregold Price Club, Inc.
Villar, former Senate president, chairs Vista Land and Lifescapes, a property development company, with its key asset being his stake in Golden MV Holdings, which developed the 3,500-hectare Villar City in Cavite.
Razon heads International Container Terminal Services Inc., a leading port business, while Ang chairs San Miguel, one of the country’s oldest conglomerates.
Tan founded LT Group, which has investments in tobacco, spirits, banking and property development. He also established Asia Brewery, a subsidiary that competes with San Miguel.
The Sy family, heirs to the late Henry Sy Sr., continues to hold significant wealth through SM Investments and SM Prime, but their net worth has declined since 2023, according to Forbes. Still, as a family, they remain the wealthiest in the Philippines for 2024.
Most of the country’s billionaires maintain diversified business portfolios, with others focusing mainly on sectors like real estate, logistics, food and beverage, and fashion and retail.
Globally, Forbes reports that the United States leads with 902 billionaires, followed by China and Hong Kong with 516, and India with 205.
The wealthiest individual is Elon Musk, with a net worth of $342 billion, primarily earned from his companies Tesla and SpaceX.
He is followed by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg ($216 billion) and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos ($215 billion), both of whom have also seen their net worth grow in the past year.
Forbes compiled the billionaires list using stock prices and exchange rates from March 7, 2025.
