THE VILLAR group is planning to develop two casino operations to be located in its 3,500-hectare Villar City development and 80-hectare Global South project, its top official said.
Manuel B. Villar, Jr., who chairs the group, told reporters earlier this week that the company plans a more than $1-billion casino operation within the Global South complex.
“Itong sa (The one in) Global South will be 80 hectares, that will be bigger than Solaire [or] Okada, and the like,” he added.
Mr. Villar also said that the group has finalized discussions with a Korean partner for the Global South project.
“Matagal na kami nag-uusap, final na, (We’ve been talking for a while, it is already final),” he said. “And we will probably start operations probably late this year or first quarter of next year.”
He plans to convert two floors of the mall within the site into a casino for high-rollers and VIPs. The location will also house a hotel.
He said another casino is planned to be developed within the 3,500-hectare Villar City, his flagship development project, which is set to be bigger than the other location.
He did not disclose further details about the project.
Meanwhile, Mr. Villar said that a theme park component is set to be developed within the flagship location, which will be integrated into a mall.
Villar City is the group’s next development, described to be 10 times the size of Bonifacio Global City. The group aims to have about 15 satellite cities.
The planned cities are set to include a central business district, a “tech valley,” a university town, and a lifestyle hub.
Villar City is said to span across Taguig, Las Piñas, Parañaque, Muntinlupa, Bacoor, Dasmariñas, Imus, San Pedro, General Mariano Alvarez, Silang, General Trias, Tanza, Trece Martires, Carmona, and Tagaytay.
Mr. Villar said that the majority of the development would be handled by the Villar group’s holding firm Prime Asset Venture, Inc., while a part of it would be developed by Vista Land & Lifescapes, Inc.
The group recently inaugurated Villar Ave., a 6.2-kilometer road that aims to connect the satellite cities to the development. — Adrian H. Halili