Cynthia VillarSenate Committee Chairperson on Agriculture and Food & Environment and Natural Resources at Senate of the Philippines
Senator Cynthia Villar is a Filipino politician currently serving in the Senate of the Philippines. She earned her degree in Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of the Philippines, which recognized her as the 2017 UPAA Most Distinguished Alumna. She completed her Masters in Business Administration at the New York University. Recently, in June 2018, she received an honorary doctor of laws from University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) for her work in agricultural development, poverty alleviation, education, women and children welfare.
She practiced as a financial analyst and college professor until she married Former House Speaker and Senate President Manny Villar in 1975. She then helped her husband in various entrepreneurial ventures, eventually making Vista Land the biggest home builder in the Philippines. She managed a private development bank from 1989 to 1998.
In the 2013 Midterm Elections, Cynthia Villar won as Senator of the country. Senator Villar is the current chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food as well as the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources. She worked for the establishment of 1,955 farm schools all over the country supported by TESDA.
Amidst all her achievements and awards, she successfully raised three well-educated children: Paolo is the CEO of publicly listed Vista Land; Mark is the Secretary of the Departments of Public Works and Highways (DPWH); and Camille, is the Executive Vice President of Starmall and President of All Home.