Villarama began his law career as a technical assistant in the Legal Research Division (now Office of the Chief Attorney) of the Supreme Court in 1970. He then worked as legal counsel or corporate secretary for several companies including the Philippine Carpet Manufacturing Corporation, UTEX, FILSYN, and the Philippine Cotton Corporation. He also worked as a lecturer for
Manuel L. Quezon University from 1973 up to 1994. He rejoined the Judiciary after being appointed Judge of the Pasig
Regional Trial Court and served there from November 5, 1986, to April 5, 1998. In November 2009, after a few nominations to the Supreme Court, he was appointed the 166th
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines by then President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. He assumed the post vacated by retired Associate Justice
Consuelo Ynares-Santiago. In January 2012, at the height of the
Impeachment of Chief Justice Renato Corona he made news by voluntarily releasing his
statement of assets, liabilities and net worth to news organizations. On January 16, 2016, he retired early citing a deteriorating health condition due to a double-knee metal implantation in 2013 and cataract operation in 2014. His retirement was three months ahead of his 70th birthday, which was the mandatory retirement age.
Awards Throughout his career, Villarama has gotten a number of awards for his service. He is a recipient of Ulirang Ama Award for Law and Judiciary in 1997 and Katangi-tanging Anak ng
Angat,
Bulacan, in 2003. During the 71st anniversary of the Court of Appeals he was recognized as one of the justices with the least pending cases. Prior to that he was already awarded the Zero-Backlog Cash Award on February 2, 2001, and October 27, 2009. He was also awarded as an Outstanding Alumnus of
Manuel L. Quezon University in 2010. ==References==