Manuel "Manny" Bamba Villar, Jr. was born on December 13, 1949 in Tondo, a densely populated district of Manila.

He was the second of nine children of Manuel Villar Sr., a government employee, and Curita Bamba, a seafood dealer.

As a young boy, he helped his mother sell fish and shrimp in Divisoria to help earn money to pay for his education.

Villar finished his elementary education at Holy Child Catholic School in 1962 and finished his high school education at Mapua Institute of Technology in 1966. He attended the University of the Philippines – Diliman and earned his bachelor's degree in business administration in 1970. He returned to the same school to earn his master's degree in business administration in 1973.

In 1975, with an initial capital of P10,000, Villar purchased two reconditioned trucks and started a business dealing with sand and gravel.

Villar expanded his business interests and pioneered the practice of selling house and lot packages, when the common practice at the time was to merely sell the land and leave the buyers to build the houses. He eventually became a leader in the housing industry, having built and sold more than 100,000 homes.

Villar entered politics in 1992, and was elected to the House of Representatives, representing the district of Las Piñas-Muntinlupa (and later the district of Las Piñas City).

In 1998, he was chosen Speaker of the House of Representatives.

As speaker, he presided over the impeachment of President Joseph Estrada by the House of Representatives.

Villar was elected to the Senate in 2001. At the start of legislative sessions, he was chosen as Senate President Pro Tempore, a position he held until 2003.

Villar won reelection to the Senate in 2007. At the start of legislative sessions he was chosen Senate President, defeating Aquilino Pimentel by a vote of 15–7. However, in November 2008, he resigned the position due to a lack of support in the Senate, and was succeeded by Juan Ponce Enrile.

Villar is married to Las Piñas City Rep. Cynthia A. Villar. They have three children, Paolo, Mark, and Camille.

Vice President:

Loren Legarda

Senators:

Ramon Mitra Jr.
Susan Ople
Pia Cayetano
Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Adel Tamano
Gwendolyn Pimentel-Gana
Miriam Santiago
Ramon Revilla Jr.
Satur Ocampo
Liza Maza
Gilbert Remulla
Ariel Querubin