TWELVE years ago, Las Piñas Rep. Camille Villar, tried her hand at being a TV host when she joined Wil Time, Big Time, the late afternoon variety-game show of Willie Revillame.

Camille joined fellow co-hosts Mariel Rodriguez, Shalani Soledad-Romulo and Grace Lee. “We are very good friends,” said Camille last weekend when she faced the entertainment press at the Brittany Hotel at BGC. “Until now we still see each other. Mariel is the god-mom of my kids, Tristan and Cara. We still see each other a lot.”

Camille added, “The friendship that we started 12 years ago is even stronger now. Before, when we were still hosting, our lives were different then. Now we’re moms and we have a lot of things to share.

“We managed to stay friends and even closer friends as the years went by. I know Mariel is busy with her business. But we always consult each other about life, about what’s going on, about motherhood, about everything Korean and food. We still come to each other a lot.”

Camille has made it a point to “never say never” when it comes to everything she does. After her stint in Wil Time, Big Time ended in 2013, she has not returned to showbiz.

“Hindi lang talaga akong marunong umarte or kumanta or sumayaw,” Camille said. “Kaya ko tinuldukan ang showbiz, kahit na anong gawin ko, hindi talaga. Then, kailangan, pumayat ako. But with anything, never say never.

“Definitely, I won’t be singing or acting if ever I go back to showbiz. I left hosting a while back. I don’t know how to act or even dance. If ever I will do something, I would like it to be related to public service. That’s where I am right now in my life.”

Camille described her friendship with Willie Revillame as “very good,” even after everything that happened.

“In the same manner that I have stayed friends with our co-hosts and they are some of the most cherished people in my life, ang pinaka doon ay si Willie,” Camille insisted.

“We have a very good relationship. He’s very close not just to me, but to the whole family. Our relationship is very good. He always has a home with us. We are very, very happy for Willie and he’s a very, very good friend.

“We are just very happy with all the great things going on in his life. There’s still a possibility of working again with him. We are very open and he’s a very, very good friend. We look forward to working again with him.”

Camille is undoubtedly excited with the collaboration happening between Advanced Media Broadcasting System (AMBS) and ABS-CBN Corporation.

The new partnership will bring up-to-date news and iconic entertainment programs to Filipino audiences via AllTV available on Channel 2 on free TV, cable and satellite TV across the country.

“We’re very, very happy about the different partnerships that we’ve began to form with AllTV,” said Camille, who joined the recent partnership launch. “The collaborations with different companies who are mostly associated with ABS-CBN.

“We’re very excited and a lot of good things will come out with that partnership. We are very, very hopeful. We just want to do well. In AllTV, we are bringing back old favorites and hopefully, new ones to a lot more people around the country.”

The Villars’ goal after acquiring AllTV is to reach more Filipinos and more people. “My father, Senator Manny Villar, whenever he enters a certain industry, he wants to do the best,” Camille said. “We want the best of programming in AllTV. Nothing is final yet.”

With the licensing partnership, that will include TV Patrol, Jeepney TV and some of the old programs. “Hopefully, the partnership will extend even more in the future,” Camille said.

“We are open to any kind of programming. We hope that it will be a fruitful partnership. We are very committed to giving our best to our partners.”

She cannot announce yet if there will be a noontime show with the partnership. “Hopefully, in the horizon, we will announce other plans,” Camille said.

Camille has filed two measures at the House of Representatives that will provide additional social safety nets for journalists and a seed fund that will provide the Philippine movie industry with the needed sources to produce world-class films.

Camille also filed House Resolution No. 451 that will create a seed fund for grant of additional funding to the local movie industry to encourage filmmakers to come up with more quality films that could compete in the international arena.

Aside from being a public servant, Camille also holds the position of president and CEO of AllValue Holdings Corporation, the retail arm of the Villar Group of Companies that handles AllDay Supermarket, AllHome and Coffee Project, and has received various accolades from this role.

In 2022, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business in Las Vegas recognized AllHome Builds and bestowed it the Bronze Award for Community-Involvement Program of the Year for Women-owned or Women-led Organizations.

It also accorded Camille with the Government Hero of the Year award for her work during the COVID-19 pandemic. She was also named Female Executive of the Year, a Silver Awardee in Asia, Australia and New Zealand for her expertise as president and chief executive officer of AllValue Group.

In college, Camille studied Business Management at the Ateneo de Manila University. She obtained her MBA from IESE (Instituto de Estudios Superiores de la Empresa) Business School in Barcelona, Spain, one of the world’s best business schools.