The public life of Manny Villar straddles both the worlds of business and politics. He is one of the few who managed to excel in both.Working StudentHe was born to a simple family in Moriones, Tondo, Manila. His father, Manuel Montalban Villar, Sr., a government employee, hailed from Cabatuan, Iloilo and his mother Curita Bamba, a seafood dealer, came from Pampanga and Bataan. Manny is the second child in a brood of nine. At a very young age, he was already helping his mother sell shrimp and fish in the Divisoria Market. With the burning desire for a better future and a strong determination to improve his family’s living conditions, Manny worked hard in selling shrimps and fish to be able to send himself to school. “I learned from my mother what it takes to be an entrepreneur,” he revealed. “And it means working really hard to achieve your dreams.”