First, he bought from former ABS-CBN head Freddie M. Garcia the lot from across ABS-CBN to the tune of P47-M. That’s where the Wil Tower Mall is now rising, built in partnership with Sen./Presidentiable Manny Villar.

Then, he bought the house of his current boss, ABS-CBN chairman/CEO Gabby Lopez, in Ayala Heights, Quezon City, to the tune of P80-M (P10-M capital gains and other taxes included).

Soon, will Wowowee host Willie Revillame buy ABS-CBN (with its sister company, Star Cinema, included in the package)?
That’s a joke, but who knows?

Is that what Willie must be thinking while relaxing in his yacht?

The Willie of Fortune keeps on turning in real life faster than it does as a segment of Wowowee.

Opening in two years, the Wil Tower Mall actually occupies three lots (the additional two purchased also for P47-M each, tax included), all in all totalling almost 5,000 square meters (one half hectare). It will house, among others, residential units, store spaces, theaters and a helipad. Willie also owns a helicopter, doesn’t he? If not yet, what will stop him from buying one...soon?

It was a leisurely Sunday afternoon and I expected Willie to be, that’s it, sunbathing in his yacht with a bottle of ice-cold beer beside him while he’s reading a (girlie?) magazine. But no, he was in casual get-up, arriving a bit late from a meeting with Ben Chan for Wil Cologne (by Bench, with Georgina Wilson as endorser on the huge billboards along EDSA).

Visiting from L.A., celebrity immigration lawyer and STAR columnist Michael Gurfinkel and his wife Millie hosted a post-birthday dinner for Willie, good for 40 people (the minimum number required by the caterer). There were hardly 10 of us, so Willie invited other friends at the last minute. They came, led by Louie Cruz and Robert Castañeda.

But first, a quick tour of the mansion that is worth P145-M in total because Willie said that he had to spend P65-M more for the repairs and improvements. The house where Gabby and his ex-wife Panjee Gonzalez and their children used to live now sits on a 2,300 square-meter lot, with a floor area of 700 square-meters. It has an infinity pool, the water of which may be heated if you want to.

“May piped-in music ang buong bahay,” said Willie. That afternoon, playing was retro music. “Every part of this house reflects my personality. I saw to it.”

The furniture, also new ones, are worth more than P35-M.

The “old” house was designed by Leandro Locsin, National Artist for architecture. Adjacent to the main house is the guest house which, according to Willie, was built like a first-class hotel.

“I bought this house for the legacy.” (He sold his house in Corinthian Garden to Pin Antonio for P35-M.)

We started at the gym which is complete with a sauna. And then we climbed the stairs leading to the second floor. The master of the house let us photographed only parts of the ground floor but not the second floor — privacy please, you know.

The bedroom is equipped with a king-size bed and an 85-inch flat TV. Every furniture is new, ordered from Italy.

“This is where Boss Gabby and his (ex-)wife used to sleep,” Willie told Michael and Millie. “It feels nice to sleep where your boss used to sleep. Ang sarap ng feeling.”

From the bedroom window, you can see the infinity pool and beyond it, the sprawling garden (with a gazebo) where Willie would have tables set up when he’s hosting a dinner just as he was doing that Sunday. The tablecloths and the seat covers are in orange which eloquently shows where Willie’s political heart is.

Neatly arranged in one cabinet are Willie’s dozens of T-shirts and in another, dozens more of pairs of shoes, both leather and rubber. Highlight of the spotlessly-white bathroom is the toilet bowl shaped like a square box on which, when covered, you can sit smugly and read a book.

“Tagus-tagos ang rooms,” said Willie. “I changed everything, including the aircon.”

When we reached the dirty kitchen downstairs, Michael said, “Even the dirty kitchen is very clean. It should be called the Clean Kitchen,” with a huge ref that, when opened, looks like a mini grocery packed full with, well, everything!

Nearby is the maids’ quarters which look more like a students’ dorm, complete with four double-decked beds covered by creaseless sheets. The maids have their own TV set, a shower room with cold and hot baths.

The drivers have their own, similar quarters.

We rested at the family theater with a large screen and a sensurround special-effects system and a “seismic floor” that vibrates with the action onscreen, which we felt more intensely during the explosive scenes of the Daniel Craig Bond thriller Quantum of Solace. I wondered how the seismic floor would react to a violent love scene. “There are more than 200 titles. All you have to do is press the button to find what movie you want to watch. I had the theater totally remodeled,” Willie added. It has a bar in one side.

We gasped at the sight of the huge garage where Willie’s 13 cars were lined-up, his favorite being the fire-red P22-M Ferrari F430.

“I love cars,” said Willie who used to buy and sell cars. “Kapag may Ferrari ka, that’s a statement.”

Time to sit down for dinner.

Dusk was setting in as we left the P145-M mansion in Ayala Heights.

We took one look at it and took more photos. It looked just as beautiful, maybe even more so, when bathed in lights.
Asked if it wasn’t lonely living in a huge house like that, Willie said no.

“I have no time to be lonely.”

Even if he claimed to be loveless.

( rickylo@philstar.net.ph)