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Billionaire Manuel Villar at the AMBS Media Center in Mandaluyong on July 30 in a photo from his Facebook page. His rise to become the Philippines' new media mogul took shape only at the beginning of this year. 
Business Spotlight

For profit or power? Philippines' richest man ventures into media

Marcos backer and billionaire Manuel Villar set to launch TV network

CLIFF VENZON, Nikkei staff writer | Philippines

MANILA -- On the third floor of Starmall, a shopping center owned by Philippine billionaire Manuel Villar, three movie theaters were shuttered in July and are being converted into television studios. On the second floor, a new radio studio recently went live.

The mall, located in central Metropolitan Manila, will be the launchpad of the Philippines' richest man's charge into media, an increasingly politicized industry in the country.

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