Dispelling fake demise rumors, Forbes billionaire Manny Villar offers a reassuring smile while reading the June 16, 2025 issue of the Manila Bulletin from inside his car.
Richest Filipino Manuel B. Villar, founder and Chairman of Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc. and several more publicly-listed companies, released a photo showing him in good health as a response to fake news that he had suffered a heart attack and had passed away in Singapore.
The photo, taken inside his car, shows the Forbes billionaire smiling while reading Monday’s issue of the Manila Bulletin. This came amid rumors spreading on social media about his fake demise.
“Setting things straight—here’s proof I’m still very much alive and well, and I’m not ready to retire just yet (winking emoji),” Villar said in the caption to his photo posted on Facebook.
Villar’s image is one of those of the very rich and powerful frequently used by scammers to entice unwitting investors into parting with their hard-earned money and sink them into various fake investment schemes.
In the past, Villar had repeatedly issued warnings to the public against the fraudulent use of his name and photos for investment schemes, including a cryptocurrency scam.
“It has come to my attention that a social media post falsely claiming that I endorsed a cryptocurrency trading program is again making the rounds in various websites, specifically in yahoo.com,” said Villar in a public notice.
He added that, “I would like to reiterate that I have never made any such endorsement nor have I engaged in the said bitcoin trading program. This is a scam and I ask the public to protect themselves from such unscrupulous act by reporting them to the proper authorities.”