Willie Revillame talked about his Wil Tower building
Veteran TV host Willie Revillame revealed the reason why he decided to build his Wil Tower when his Wowowee show was airing on ABS-CBN.
Wowowee aired on the Kapamilya network from 2005 until 2010. In a recent interview, Willie talked about his previous game show, which was a big hit back then.
At that time, Willie decided to establish a building bearing his name. The Wil Tower is a high-rise condo building and commercial complex which was built just in front of the audience entrance ng ABS-CBN compound in Eugenio Lopez Drive.
In a recent interview, based on the article in PEP, Willie Revillame talked about his Wil Tower. The area where it was built was three different lot properties belonging to different owners.
One of the owners was Freddie M. Garcia (FMG), ABS-CBN President from 1997 to 2003. The other lot properties belonged to two private individuals.
“Yung tatlong lupa na yun, bakit ko binili isa-isa? Dinemanda kami nun, e. Pinapahinto yung Wowowee sa ABS-CBN. Why? Kasi sobrang dami ng taong nakapila. Doon nagka-camp, doon tumitira. Doon na lahat,” Willie shared.
They would always receive complaints. With that, the veteran TV host thought of buying the property in front of ABS-CBN’s audience entrance. He said that back then, people who wanted to be contestants or game participants for their famous game segment, Pera O Bayong, reached thousands.
“So, ang ginawa ko, nakipag-usap ako sa mga may-ari. And then, it’s a good thing naman yung time na yon, e, ready na silang magbenta,” the TV host said. Willie was able to persuade FMG immediately to sell his property. However, he had a hard time convincing the third owner of the property.
He had an opportunity to meet the 34-year-old child with special needs of the third owner.
“Inakap ako. Nung pagyakap sa akin, binigyan ko ng jacket. Dinala ko sa ABS, nanood ng show. Kinabukasan, tinawagan ako nung asawa [nung may-ari]. ‘Gusto mo ba itong lugar na ito?’ And then right there and then, binenta sa akin,” he shared.
Willie Revillame shared that it was business tycoon and former Senator Manny Villar who bought the property and was named after him.
To recall, the Tv host endorsed Villar in the 2010 presidential elections, but it was the late former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III who won.
“Sabi ko, ‘Huwag niyo ho akong bayaran. Patayuan niyo lang ako ng maliit na parang studio ng Wowowee.’ Parang maliit na Araneta Coliseum. Kaya binili ko yun. Yun ang konsepto talaga noon,” he shared.
The Wil Tower was opened to the public in 2013. At that time, Willie Revillame was already doing his show Wowowin on GMA.
Reports stated that Willie sold the Wil Tower Mall to Villar in 2015. In 2019, it was said that the only property he was in the building was the penthouse on the 39th floor.