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Joel Villanueva
Majority Floor Leader of the Senate of the Philippines since 2025 (born 1975) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Emmanuel Joel Jose Villanueva[2] (/vɪljɑːnuːwɛbɑː/, born August 2, 1975), nicknamed "Tesdaman",[3] is a Filipino politician is the Senate Majority Leader since 2025, he previously served the position from 2022 to 2024 and has been a Senator since 2016. He previously served as the Director General of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) from 2010 to 2015 in the administration of President Benigno Aquino III. He started his political career in the House of Representatives, representing CIBAC party-list from 2002 to 2010; at the age of 26, he was the youngest member of the House when he assumed office. He is a son of evangelist and politician Bro. Eddie Villanueva, founder of Jesus Is Lord Church Worldwide.
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Since 2016, Villanueva has been facing ongoing criminal cases in the Sandiganbayan for two counts of violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and one count of malversation through falsification of public documents, originating from misused 10 million pesos in public funds which Villanueva used for ghost projects through a questionable NGO. Administrative sanctions have also been filed against him for grave misconduct, serious dishonesty, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of public service.[4] The Ombudsman has released a dismissal order against Villanueva in November 2016, barring him from public office. The Senate leadership, tasked to enforce the dismissal, has not yet acted on the order.[5]
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Early life
Joel Villanueva was born on August 2, 1975, in Bocaue, Bulacan. He is the second of four children of the Philippine Christian evangelist Eddie Villanueva and Adoracion "Dory" Jose-Villanueva.[6] He attended the University of Santo Tomas where he graduated in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce degree, with a Major in Economics. He attended Harvard University in the United States for a Master in Business Administration from 1996 to 1998.[7]
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Political career
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House of Representatives
Villanueva was elected to the Philippine House of Representatives in 2001 as a party-list representative of the Citizens' Battle Against Corruption (CIBAC).[8] However, his oath-taking was stalled for seven months following issues that CIBAC was an extension of the Jesus Is Lord Church Worldwide, a Christian church founded by his father, Eddie Villanueva. At age 26, Villanueva took his oath of office in February 2002, becoming the youngest member of the House of Representatives (a distinction previously held by Felix William Fuentebella).[9]
Villanueva was a member of the 12th, 13th, and 14th Congresses spanning 2001 through 2010. At the 12th Congress, he became the first party-list representative, minority leader of the House's Commission on Appointments, and assistant majority leader in the House. He was also among the principal sponsors of Republic Act No. 9485 (the Anti Red-Tape Law of 2007). [8] In the 13th Congress, he served as a deputy minority leader in the House.[10][11]
In 2008, as CIBAC Party representative, Villanueva misused 10 million in public funds through Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF). Ombudsman investigations found that Villanueva's disbursements were coursed through a questionable NGO for an agricultural and livelihood project which turned out to be a ghost project. Administrative sanctions for grave misconduct, serious dishonesty, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of public service were imposed on him in 2016, where criminal charges were also filed in the Sandiganbayan due to two counts of violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and one count of malversation through falsification of public documents. The court cases are still ongoing.[4]
TESDA
He was appointed by President Benigno Aquino III as TESDA chief in 2010.[12] Upon assuming his post as head of TESDA, Villanueva initiated an audit of the agency stemming from a ₱2.4 billion sponsorship debt related to undocumented TESDA scholarships. The audit reduced the agency's debt to ₱880 million after eliminating "ghost schools" and "ghost scholars".[13]
As TESDA chief, he initiated the "Shoot for your Dream" series, an aspirational program which involved exhibition games featuring Philippine Basketball Association legends.[14] Villanueva himself played as part of the basketball exhibition team, named "Team Trabaho".[12]
Under his watch, TESDA's central office, as well as 17 regional offices and 81 provincial offices, were granted ISO certifications. Among these certifications included the office at the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, the first TESDA office to receive such a certification in Mindanao.[15]
While in office as Director General of TESDA, he completed an extensive vocational course in Advanced Food and Beverage Services within the agency for training as a barista.[8]
Prior to launching a senatorial bid, he tendered his resignation from the post on October 9, 2015.[16] His resignation became effective on October 13, 2015, and President Benigno Aquino III named TESDA deputy director general Irene Isaac as his successor.[17]
Senate
Villanueva ran for senator under the Koalisyon ng Daang Matuwid in the 2016 senatorial elections. He was also a shared candidate in the 10-member senatorial slate of the late presidential candidate Miriam Defensor Santiago.[18] He filed his certificate of candidacy at the Commission on Elections on October 16, 2015.[19] He unexpectedly won the Senate race, landing in second place with 18,459,222 votes.[20]
Campaigning under the moniker "TESDA Man"[21] (alternatively spelled as TESDAMAN) alluding to his previous experience as head of TESDA, Villanueva's platform is focused on employment. His platform is likewise abbreviated into TESDA – which stands for Trabaho, Edukasyon, Serbisyo, Dignidad and Asenso (Employment, Education, Service, Dignity and Progress).[22]
On November 14, 2016, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales ordered Villanueva's dismissal from public service for "grave misconduct, serious dishonesty, and conduct prejudicial to the interest of the service" over alleged misuse of his Priority Development Assistance Fund during his tenure as a congressman amounting to 10 million pesos. Villanueva claimed that the incriminating documents against him were forged.[4][23] The Ombudsman directed Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III to implement the order against Villanueva.[24] Amid the administrative charged filed after a series of in-depth Ombudsman investigations, criminal charges were also filed against Villanueva in the Sandiganbayan, which include two counts of violation of the Anti Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and one count of malversation through falsification of public documents. The court litigation remains ongoing.[4]
Villanueva ran for re-election in the 2022 senatorial elections. Running as an independent candidate, he was named as a guest candidate of the Lacson–Sotto, MP3 Alliance, and TRoPa slates.[25] He was successful, landing in the 9th place with 18,539,537 votes. He was later named Senate Majority Leader at the opening of the 19th Congress.[10][11] New San Jose Builders gave Villanueva a campaign donation of P20 million, which was biggest corporate donation to a senatorial aspirant in the 2022 elections.[26] The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism noted that the donation constitutes a possible election violation of the ban on giving or receiving donations from corporations with active government contracts.[27]
In September 2024, The House Committee on Appropriations plans to cut 1.29 billion Philippine pesos to the proposed 2 billion Philippine peso budget of the Office of the Vice President in 2025. According to the said committee, this was due to the "lack of information" given from Vice President Sara Duterte. Villanueva questioned the budget cut and treatment made by the House committee on the OVP. He cited some "inconsistency" and encourage that the committee must continue tradition of implementing the rules regardless of the officials involved.[28]
In June 2025, during the impeachment trial of Vice President Duterte, Villanueva was caught on video coaching Senator Imee Marcos to interrupt and derail the manifestation speech of Senator Risa Hontiveros. In the video, Villanueva stated to Marcos, "Go to the microphone. Say that the point of order takes precedence. Para tumigil sya (so she will stop talking – referring to Hontiveros)." Political experts note that the video seems to show a conspiracy of senators, namely Villanueva, Marcos, Ejercito, and Dela Rosa, attempting to cut off an incumbent senator's speech on impeachment procedure. Villanueva was among the 18 senators who voted to "return" the articles of impeachment to the House of Representatives.[4] The return has been called "illegal" by various political and law experts.[29]
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Sporting career
While he was a student of the University of Santo Tomas, Villanueva played with the UST Growling Tigers varsity basketball team, that won the UAAP Season 56 and 57 of 1994–1995.[14] Villanueva was part of the Philippines national basketball team that competed in international basketball competitions[12] such as the inaugural 1994 SEABA Championship (coached by Virgil Villavicencio).[30]
He returned to competitive basketball in 2013, playing for the Congress-LGU Legislators in the UNTV Cup. In 2014, he played for the Malacañang Patriots.[31] After winning a Senate seat, Villanueva joined the Senate Defenders basketball team, in preparations for the opening of Season 5 of the UNTV Cup.[32] He was part of the Defenders' championship team that won the UNTV Cup Season 6 in 2018.[33]
Personal life
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He was given the Gawad Dangal ng Lipi for Public Service Award by the Bulacan provincial government on September 15, 2012. The Development Executive Group (DevEx) an organization based in the United States gave him the DEVEX Manila 40 Under 40 International Development Leaders Award on February 19, 2013. A former student of the University of Santo Tomas, he was named as Most Outstanding Alumni Award by the university.[7] He was granted an Honoris Causa degree of Doctor of Humanities by the Polytechnic University of the Philippines on May 10, 2013.[8]
Villanueva has two children, Jaden and Gwyn.[12] As a basketball enthusiast, Villanueva is reportedly a fan of the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association.[13] He formerly hosted the television program, Adyenda, and leads the Kristiyanong Kabataan para sa Bayan Movement, a youth organization.[8]
Villanueva is a member of a political family. His father, Jesus Is Lord (JIL) founder Eddie Villanueva is a congressman representing CIBAC Party-list. His brother Jonjon is mayor of Bocaue in Bulacan, his sister Joni was former mayor, his sister's husband Sherwin Tugna is a former congressman and the incumbent vice mayor of Bocaue. The family has been described as an "obese dynasty". Addressing the critical label of "political dynasty" to the Villanuevas, his father Eddie Villanueva stated that the term is "not applicable" to them and that they are "here for advocacy".[4]
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Electoral history
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References
External links
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