#61 Joel “Tesdaman” Villanueva

Emmanuel Joel Jose Villanueva (born on August 2, 1975, in Bocaue, Bulacan) is a politician. He is a senator of the Philippines, serving until June 30, 2022.

Villanueva led the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) from 2010 to 2015. Before this, he was a member of the House of Representatives from 2001 to 2010, representing the Citizens’ Battle Against Corruption (CIBAC). He is the son of evangelist Eddie Villanueva, founder and spiritual director of the Jesus Is Lord (JIL) Church Worldwide.

The senator chairs the committee on labor and the committee on higher, technical, and vocational education. He ranked second among senatorial bets in the 2016 elections with 18.4 million votes. | Rappler

Issues and Stands

Safe re-opening of schools and transition to face-to-face classes

Ensure that quality internet is available to students and work to provide subsidies to ensure they can keep up in their classes (i.e., load or laptop subsidies)

Integrate Human Rights and Peace Education into basic and secondary education curriculum

Junking of Anti-Terror Law

Demand that campaigns declare online campaign expenditures beyond their official social media accounts (i.e., influencers engaged, unofficial groups or pages tapped, etc.)

Increased participation of the youth in local and national governance by allowing them to influence & craft legislation

Protection of Indigenous Peoples’ rights and support their increased participation in cultural spaces

Legalization of Divorce

Increase national minimum wage to P750

Increase budget for farming and fishing support/infrastructure

Enact the right to an adequate food bill or the Zero Hunger Bill

Continue support for the rice tariffication law

Seeking climate change accountability from better developed, high-pollutant countries

Increase financial and technical support for local climate adaptation and mitigation projects

Support for Open Pit Mining

Pass an Alternative Mining Act in accordance with human rights norms, standards, and obligations

Increase funding for mental health support

Decriminalizing Abortion

Reparations for Martial Law Victims & Retrieval of Marcos’ Ill-gotten Wealth

Criminalizing of Vote-buying

Other candidates to consider

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