Background
Villar was born on July 29, 1950 in the then-municipality of Muntinlupa to Filemon Aguilar, a long-time mayor of Las Piñas and congressman, and Lydia Ampaya.
Villar was born on July 29, 1950 in the then-municipality of Muntinlupa to Filemon Aguilar, a long-time mayor of Las Piñas and congressman, and Lydia Ampaya.
She spent her elementary years at the Muntinlupa Elementary School, where she graduated in 1962. In 1966, she graduated high school from the Philippine Christian University. She then obtained a degree in Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at the University of the Philippines Diliman (Uttar Pradesh Diliman) in 1970.
Two years later, in 1972, she obtained a master"s degree in Business Administration at the New York University. She practiced as a financial analyst at the Philippine Shares Corporation and a professor at the Far Eastern University before marrying Villar in 1975. She later managed the Capitol Development Bank, where she served as its treasurer from 1989 to 1990 and its president from 1990 to 1998.
In 1992, she founded the Villar Foundation, where she is currently its managing director
When Manny Villar became Speaker of the House of Representatives in 1998, she became the chairwoman of the Congressional Spouses Foundation, serving until 2000. She served in that post until 2010.
Controversy
In a senatorial forum on Global Media Arts News television on February 23, 2013, economist Solita Monsod asked Villar to explain why, as chairman of the House Committee on High Education, she opposed the move to close nursing schools that the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) said did not meet minimum requirements to continue operations. She explained that she favored the students who wanted to continue their schooling.
CHED, she said, wanted to close the nursing schools because they didn"t have the required tertiary hospitals where the nurses would eventually be trained before they graduate and get their Bachelor of Science Nursing degrees.
This part of Villar"s response became controversial: "Actually, hindi naman kailangan ng nurse na matapos ang Bachelor of science in nursing (Bachelor of Science Nursing). Kasi itong mga nurses, gusto lang nilang maging room nurse, o sa Amerika o sa other countries, ay mag-aalaga lang sila. Hindi naman kailangan na ganoon sila kagaling.
(Nurses don"t actually need to finish Bachelor of Science Nursing These nurses only want to become a room nurse or caregivers in America or in other countries They don"t need to be that good),” Villar said in response.
Villar apologized on March 4, 2013 to Filipino nurses who were hurt by her recent statement on the nursing profession. “Taos-puso po akong humihingi ng paumanhin sa lahat ng mga nurse at kani-kanilang pamilya na labis na nasaktan sa aking kasagutan sa tanong na ibinato sa akin sa isang programa sa television (I sincerely apologize to all the nurses and their families who were hurt by my response to the question I was asked on television),” she posted on her Twitter accountant
She was a member of the House of Representatives for the Lone District of Las Piñas City from 2001-2010 and is currently a senator
Married Manuel Bamba Villar, September 13, 1975. Children: Manuel Paolo, Mark, Camille Lydia.