Enrique Razon Jr, the Chairman and CEO of Solaire parent Bloomberry Resorts Corp, has moved into top spot on the Forbes 2026 list of the 50 Richest in the Philippines.
This is the first time Razon has claimed top spot, with Forbes describing him as the “biggest gainer in dollar terms” thanks to his shipping container business Container Terminal Services, which saw his net worth reach US$21.8 billion.
“Unfazed by geopolitical tensions, he accelerated the global expansion of his listed International Container Terminal Services, which boosted its shares and helped Razon add US$10.3 billion to his pile,” Forbes stated.
The strong performance of his business empire belied the challenges his two Solaire-branded integrated resort properties have faced in recent times due to lower visitation to the Philippines from the country’s core Korean and Chinese source markets as well as lower gaming spend as a result of economic challenges emanating from the Middle East war.
Forbes noted that, in 1Q26, the Philippine economy expanded 2.8% – its lowest quarterly growth rate since the pandemic.
“The energy shock from the Iran conflict took its toll, stoking inflation while the peso fell,” the outlet explained. “As a result, the collective wealth of the country’s 50 richest tycoons dropped to US$79 billion from $86 billion last year.”
There were still a number of individuals with links to gaming on the rich list for 2026.
Henry Sy, who ranks second in 2026 with a US$9.2 billion fortune, holds a stake in Belle Corp, which is a partner of Melco Resorts & Entertainment in City of Dreams Manila, while Manny Villar – who is fighting a criminal complaint by the SEC over land valuations – ranks ninth. Villar is hoping to build an expansive mixed-use estate in southern Manila including casinos.
Lance Gokongwei, who heads up NUSTAR Resort Cebu’s ultimate parent JG Summit Holdings, ranks 13th with US$1.9 billion and Andrew Tan, founder of Newport World Resorts parent Alliance Global Group, sits 14th with a similar fortune.
DigiPlus Chairman Eusebio Tanco ranks 20th with US$735 million to his name – largely thanks to the recent growth of the country’s regulated online gaming sector.
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