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Daniel Villanueva: Founder and President, Danvil Holdings
After Berkley International became Danvil Plans in March 2007, I started researching on the Internet who this Mr. Daniel Villanueva is. Who is this man who single-handedly took on the acquisition of Berkley for 1.25 billion pesos? Does this man have the ability to lead Danvil so that by 2010, I could get my money and so that other pre-need planholders could also get theirs in the years to come?
Until now, there are only a few notes on the Internet about Mr. Villanueva that I’ve read.
One is an article by Elizabeth Sanchez-Lacson on Inquirer.net on April 11, 2007. This article said that Mr. Daniel Villanueva held top positions in the life insurance industry for many years, including:
president of John Hancock Life Insurance Corp.
project consultant Arthur Andersen Business Consulting
president of PT-NIAGA-CIGNA Life Insurance in Indonesia
senior vice president for operation of Lincoln Philippine Life Insurance Co.
executive vice president and chief finance officer of Berkley International Plans
Sanchez-Lacson said that Mr. Villanueva helped run Berkley and its marketing unit Family First for 7 years, administering 60,000 active plans, trust fund assets of 3.8 billion pesos and planholder liabilities of 3.2 billion pesos. She also noted that much of the growth of Danvil is credited to Mr. Villanueva.
She also said that Danvil Holdings was incorporated in November 1996 as a real estate corporation, and later also as a financial service corporation.
The second article is on the web site of prudentialife. It says that Mr. Villanueva received an award from Nenita Agustin, senior vice president of Philippine Prudential Life Insurance Co., for being one of the top producers in 2007.
Now this one leaves a question in my mind. Why would Mr. Villanueva receive an award from Prudential as a producer? Was Mr. Villanueva a general agent of Prudential? Did Danvil incorporate a Prudential life plan into Danvil’s products in 2007? I bought my Danvil plan in 2000 and I didn’t buy any other Danvil plan after, so I didn’t know that Danvil sold Prudential Life plans.
Perhaps this explains a complaint by someone named Huggs on pc-tipid.com. He says that his friend bought a Prudential Life plan from Danvil, but they could not trace the OR of his first payment when they called up Prudential Life.
From my research on Danvil and Mr. Daniel Villanueva on the Internet, all the bad things associated to Danvil arise from its aggressive marketing and sales tactics in the malls. Many of those commenting are calling Danvil a scam because of these tactics, especially customers forced or pressured by sales agents into swiping their credit cards. They also interpret the changing of the name from Family First to Danvil as one scam tactic.
With regards to any bad thing said about Mr. Villanueva, I found none.
This is in contrast to the case of Legacy’s Celso de los Angeles Jr. when I researched about him after planholders were informed that Danvil’s pre-need plans were being bought by Legacy. Try researching Mr. De Los Angeles and you’d be surprised at various kinds of unsavory things said about him both in his personal life and professional life, even before Legacy collapsed. It was really providential that the 2008 Legacy deal did not push through. I applaud Danvil for this. In my very first email to Danvil after the Legacy deal announcement, I mentioned those things said about Mr. De Los Angeles.
About claims, I haven’t read about or heard of any Danvil planholder whose plan have matured in 2008 complaining on the Internet that Danvil failed to pay his/her claims. What about you? Have you heard or read about someone not receiving his/her 2008 maturity proceeds from Danvil?
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34 Responses to “Daniel Villanueva: Founder and President, Danvil Holdings”
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My plan will also mature in 2010, I am really praying that the company will stay strong amidst this financial crisis & we will be able to get our money back. We are really lucky that the Legacy buyout did not push through.
Yes, gepce, I too have been praying about our plans. My daughter is entering college this June, and any addition to my income (which has become inadequate nowadays), is a great great help. 2010 ka rin. Ako October 2010. And yes! Great talaga na hindi natuloy. Noon pa man, nababasa ko na yong mga ugly things tungkol sa head nila na si De Los Angeles. Have a nice day
I have 2 policies with Family First- now Danvil. One has been fully paid up, the other which is to be paid until 2011 they stopped sending statements of accounts in 2005 and stopped debiting my credit card in 2007. IOn a visit to Philippines I called in at their office at SM Southmall to complain, and was given hard sell to buy more plans. When I refused I was subjected to abuse and laughter and shown up in front of everyone. I’m now worried they could say I have defaulted on payments which I have not, the money is there, but they simply have not collected it. My English husband is very angry about this and has e mailed them a lot of times each time it is returned as not delivered. He eventually got to access the account information and was told my accounts were not listed. Read all the complaints about these people it is a downright SCAM! I have paid my money and now they say they do not have my account!!! My husband says these people are just exploiting peole and lining their own pockets- Please spare me the laughable praise about Villanueva- he will know what is going on- How much salary and bonuses does he get???????
Hello, Nora Richards. Now I’m glad I wrote this thing about Mr. Villanueva so that it could get a comment like yours. I’ve been searching on the Internet for comments/info on Mr. Villanueva, and yours is the first negative comment I’ve read. I feel so disappointed you had that kind of experience with Danvil. As a Danvil planholder, naturally I’d wish all good things for Danvil because it holds my plan, which I hope to “encash” in 2010. I don’t know personally Mr. Villanueva, so what I wrote was all from online research, and then I wrote there in the article that I didn’t find any write-up or note criticizing Mr. Villanueva. Now that your comment is here, there’s one critical of Mr. Villanueva. And another one that criticized not the aggressive marketing tactics (which is what we usually read on the Net and what was shown on TV in the past), but one directly connected to one plan (your plan which lapsed because they simply stopped deducting from your credit card without any notice and which they refused to reinstate). I’m also disgusted about what you experienced at the office. But I’m not surprised because some of their agents really have this abnormal type of sales tactic and aggressiveness. Going back to your plans: what about the fully paid plan? When will it mature? There’s one Danvil planholder commenting on this site whose plan is maturing this March 2009. He said he’s going to share his experience on this site after he claims his proceeds.
Just to add a comment on Nora Ricards’. When my credit card expired, Danvil sent me a notification stating that I have defaulted in my payment. I called up immediately and informed them that a replacement credit card took place with the same credit card number. The call attendant just got my new expiry date for the credit card, and no problem afterwards. Danvil, according to the attendant, has a new policy that whenever a credit card expires with a new replacement, albeit the same number, Danvil stops charging that card. It is now incumbent upon the policy holders to inform Danvil of the new replacement card.
Thanks, Epoy, for commenting again. You seem to have positive experiences with Danvil. I hope there are more whose experiences are as positive as yours. Have a nice day.
[...] Daniel Villanueva: Founder and President, Danvil [...]
try to drop by in any office of danvil-ppl, ask csa or any person re: maturity benefit. ask nyo kung may tumalbog na tseke. If u have anu question re: your policy feel free to drop by in any offices
To anyone who has doubts or questions about his/her Danvil plans, Ms. Maria is challenging/inviting us to go to any office of Danvil and ask.
Maria, what’s the ppl in danvil-ppl? Thanks, Maria, for commenting…
Our plans (My wife and I) will mature in May 2010 and we are very hopeful that Danvil will stay strong for the next 10 years.. My boss, who’s plan mature last Jan ‘09, already received his money will no hazzle at all.. The claims lead time lasted for only 1 week..
I agree with Maria, if you have doubts about your policy or about payment not getting through.. just visit any Danvil plans offices and get your statement of account.. In our case, for almost 9years we didn’t encountered any problems with our payment through PDC issuance..
Let’s all pray that we get all our money back with interest..
does anybody here have idea whats wrong with http://www.danvil.com.ph/
becoz i can’t access it anymore… is this the beginning of the end for us policy holders? my plan will mature Nov 2015..
btw, during my vacation last jan i was comtemplating on withdrawing my policy in fear that i may not see it anymore.. when i went to danvil (sm megamall) the csa lady told me that only half of what i have invested will be returned and 30 working days processing… kalahati na nga lang ibibigay patatagalin pa samantalang nung hinila ka e mabilis pa sa alas dose ang pagtulak sa yo na i withdraw ang pera sa atm/credit card mo
Thanks for your info, Jeff. Your positive experiences, including that of your boss, give us hope. I hope more positive experiences are posted here.
Nor,
I need your help. I tried to research Danvil’s contact number because I need to find out what’s going on. I can’t check my account anymore online. I tried to open their website however; it’s no longer in service. I used to check my account online before but not anymore. I tried to email Ms. Adino; unfortunately, I have not gotten any response yet. I’m kind of worried about my plan. I already invested almost .5M and I still have 3 more years to pay before I can get money back if I’m lucky. Do you have Danvil’s contact number by any chance? And also, do they still have office in Paseo de Roxas? Your response would be a great help. Thank you.
R/
Roland
wero and Gie, yes, many have been complaining about Danvil’s website. I’m also bothered why Danvil doesn’t care about its website. The last time I called danvil, the lady who answered insisted the website was accessible. I didn’t argue anymore. She suggested we call danvil instead or go to the office.
Roland, the last time I called, which was about 2 weeks ago, this was the number I used..755-1591, and somebody answered. I’m not sure if Danvil is still there in their Paseo building. What I saw was danvil’s sales people and booth at SM Fairview 3 days ago. What I noticed was their logo… Danvil PPL. The PPL could be Philippine Prudential Life, as Danvil has an alliance with Prudential…
Just drop by to share some thoughts.. i am alarmed with what is happening this days to the preneed industry…tumbling down very very fast!!!im also a Danvil policy owner..already paid 45% of the contract price…i just cancelled my contract and what i would get is a mere 20% of the amount paid..last year when they announced the transfer to Legacy it came to me that danvil wants to get rid of its obligations legally while legacy has not unleashed yet its bombshell..i was wondering why their website is not updated for a long time..now i hav lots of regrets for wasting my money in an uncertain investment…well i hav to terminate my plan to at least save something out of uncertainty..
Jundac, I respect your decision and I admire your decision-making process. You faced your worries right ahead. Just like you, I’ve lots of worries too about my investment, but I’ve decided to wait awhile. As for your 80-percent loss, it’s really painful to think about it. Even if we think about many others who have lost their investments, and maybe much more than we’ve lost, it’s still painful. My husband and I lost a lot too (his savings for years abroad) in a franchise business, and up to now, it’s painful for me to enter malls because it’s where we lost our money. But I think you’re still young, and you can recoup what was painfully lost. Here’s one quotation from someone: Good decisions come from experience, and experience comes from bad decisions. On the other hand, yes, the pre-need industry has destroyed its own sector. From now on, people would be doubtful about anything pre-need.
Hello. Im also a plan holder. And like some on you here, my plan will mature on March 2010.
Kindly continue to post your updates regarding Danvil, as this will be a big help for us planholders. Lets continue to pray for its stability, knowing that our hard-earned money and our childrens’ future are on the line.
Is there any update regarding the company to date?
Ninoy, thanks for the comments. I like your positive attitude… About updates, kindly refer to the comments from Rolly here — he has just received an email from Mr. Francisco of Danvil…
for your info – pls check recent news that danvil was on the list of preneed firm that has problem on finances according to sec
hello people, i think its confirmed that Danvil plans is in trouble and that SEC has ordered them to stop? this dev’t really scares me. those who are in the Phils kindly update us on whats the real score and how can we get our hard earned money back… Nors thanks for keeping this blog alive.. dito nalang ang pag-asa naming makakuha ng up to date info re danvil’s case. tnx again.
ATTENTION!!! Danvil PPL is active and recruiting plan holders in SM Cebu. I went there last Saturday (5/9/2009). Beside LTO office SM cebu. They tried me but the agent BELOW SEA LEVEL IQ wasnt able to convince me!
I just want to say that if you have any questions and concerns regarding your policy just kindly visit the company branches and they will gladly answer all your questions don’t just listen to other people saying negative things about the company because what they know is only what they’ve heard. let’s just always pray that the company will be stable.
hi, nag-aply aq nung friday night sa may sm southmall, sobrang gling nila mag sales talk, dahil sa katangahan ko naiswipe ang credit card q, eh napgalamn q medyo mraming reklmo sa insurance compny na 2, pwde q p kya mapacancel un…sbrang nagwowori aq, can u help me to solve this? d aq mpakali lalo na’t holiday..
Hello, Juliet, pakibasa lang yong response kay rose. may info for you.
ask ko kung may mga requirements pb kung magclaim ka ng plan mo? Family First kc ang plan na nakuha ko eh. tumawag ako today sa prudential sbi nung carla dun sa danvil daw ako magtanong regarding sa requirements. kya tumawag nmn ako dun, pero wlang sumasagot ring lang ng ring. bli mature na ang plan ko last nov.7,2009.
Hi, Joseph, sayang nakuha mo sana agad kung nag-file ka ng claim 2 months before pa. File ka na agad, kasi 60 days processing nila ngayon. Yong sa phone, antayin mo lang, may sasagot din, nagtitipid na sila kaya konti lang customer reps nila (palagay ko). Meron dito nag-comment kung ano yong mga requirements…. puntahan mo yong comment dito ni Rolly or ni Fides.
Nora,
Dito pa rin ako, medyo nagbabasa basa lang nang mga comments nyo….Ate Nors parang feeling ko medyo okay ang mga pre-need co., wala masyadong balita…..May balita dyan sa side nyo…..Puro na kasi patungkol sa eleksyon…
Thanks for this blog…..
More power sa iyo….
Thanks, Rolly, for the encouragement. Hope I’ve more time para ma-improve itong blog para mas okay. Yup, medyo tigil muna mga pre-need issues, kasi ang daming ibang mas popular issues, just as you said, like Pacquiao, elections, Maguindanao. Pero I hope lang na di matigil yong sa Legacy, etc. kasi ang dami ring nawalan doon.
I am on my 3rd year of paying a 5 year plan, i have a lot of concern during the mall discussion because i am aware of the family first issues before but my they were able to pursue my husband and now to make the long story short i am anxious if i will ever make it to maturity… hope updates can regularly e posted for me to follow any relevant updates regarding danvil’s financial health.
Also for those whose plan have matured in 2009 please kindly post updates regarding the processing and claims that you have made with danvil and any relevant complaints or praises that you expirience during the processing of your claims.
Regards,
What is wrong with the website? I watched a Filipino news show on GMA and Daniel Villanueva was being hospitalized for something or the other. This is a common tactic used by people who are in trouble-remember Jocjoc Bolante? I believe he has spent the money that was invested by people like us. My plan matures this January 2010 and I cannot access the website as well. Are those of you who are posting blogs planning to sue this crook?
Jojo, I’m bothered by your report. I surfed to get more info about it, di ko makita. Can you please give more info? Why was his hospitalization covered by the media? Anong sinabi about Danvil? Thanks.
God forbid! This is the modus operandi of other pre-need owners. I believe that you, guys, who are there in Manila at least somehow can verify the above issue with GMA as per Jojo’s comment? I would be very grateful enough if you can post the facts about DANVIL’s status.
Blessings!