Joel Villanueva facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joel Villanueva
|
|||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.png)
Official portrait, 2019
|
|||||||||||||||||
| Senate Majority Leader | |||||||||||||||||
| In office July 25, 2022 – May 20, 2024 |
|||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | JV Ejercito Mark Villar |
||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Migz Zubiri | ||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Francis Tolentino | ||||||||||||||||
| Senator of the Philippines | |||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office June 30, 2016 |
|||||||||||||||||
| Chair of the Senate Higher, Technical and Vocational Education Committee | |||||||||||||||||
| In office July 22, 2019 – June 30, 2022 |
|||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Francis Escudero | ||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Francis Escudero | ||||||||||||||||
| Chair of the Senate Labor, Employment, and Human Resources Development Committee | |||||||||||||||||
| In office July 25, 2016 – June 30, 2022 |
|||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Jinggoy Estrada | ||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Jinggoy Estrada | ||||||||||||||||
| Chair of the Senate Youth Committee | |||||||||||||||||
| In office July 25, 2016 – June 30, 2019 |
|||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Bam Aquino | ||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Sonny Angara | ||||||||||||||||
| Director General of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority | |||||||||||||||||
| In office June 30, 2010 – October 13, 2015 |
|||||||||||||||||
| President | Benigno Aquino III | ||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Augusto Syjuco, Jr. | ||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Irene Isaac | ||||||||||||||||
| Member of the House of Representatives for CIBAC | |||||||||||||||||
| In office February 6, 2002 – June 30, 2010 Serving with Cinchona Cruz-Gonzales (2007–2010)
|
|||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Sherwin Tugna | ||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||
| Born |
Emmanuel Joel Jose Villanueva
August 2, 1975 Bocaue, Bulacan, Philippines |
||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Independent (2021–present) | ||||||||||||||||
| Other political affiliations |
Liberal (2013–2019) Bangon (2004–2013) CIBAC (2001–2021) |
||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Gladys Cruz | ||||||||||||||||
| Children | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| Parents | Eddie Villanueva Adoracion Villanueva |
||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Santo Tomas (BS) Harvard University (MBA) |
||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||
Emmanuel Joel Jose Villanueva (/vɪljɑːnuːwɛbɑː/), born on August 2, 1975, is a Filipino politician. People often call him "Tesdaman". He was the Senate Majority Leader from 2022 to 2024. He has been a Senator since 2016.
Before becoming a Senator, he led the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) from 2010 to 2015. This was during the time of President Benigno Aquino III. He began his political journey in the House of Representatives. He represented the CIBAC party-list from 2002 to 2010. When he started, he was the youngest member of the House at 26 years old. Joel Villanueva is the son of the well-known evangelist and politician, Bro. Eddie Villanueva.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Joel Villanueva was born on August 2, 1975, in Bocaue, Bulacan, Philippines. He is the second of four children. His parents are the Christian evangelist Eddie Villanueva and Adoracion "Dory" Jose-Villanueva.
He studied at the University of Santo Tomas. In 1996, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce, with a focus on Economics. He also attended Harvard University in the United States. There, he pursued a Master in Business Administration from 1996 to 1998.
Political Journey
Serving in the House of Representatives
In 2001, Joel Villanueva was elected to the Philippine House of Representatives. He was a party-list representative for the Citizens' Battle Against Corruption (CIBAC). He officially took his oath in February 2002. At 26, he became the youngest member of the House at that time.
He served in the 12th, 13th, and 14th Congresses from 2001 to 2010. During the 12th Congress, he was the first party-list representative to be a minority leader in the House's Commission on Appointments. He also served as an assistant majority leader. He helped create Republic Act No. 9485, known as the Anti Red-Tape Law of 2007. In the 13th Congress, he was a deputy minority leader.
Leading TESDA
In 2010, President Benigno Aquino III appointed Joel Villanueva to lead TESDA. TESDA stands for the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority. When he started, he checked the agency's finances. He helped reduce a large debt by finding and removing "ghost schools" and "ghost scholars."
As TESDA chief, he started a program called "Shoot for your Dream." This program included basketball games with famous Philippine Basketball Association players. Villanueva himself played for "Team Trabaho" in these games. Under his leadership, TESDA's main office and many regional and provincial offices received ISO certifications. This means they met high international standards for quality. He even completed a vocational course in Advanced Food and Beverage Services at TESDA to become a barista.
He left his position at TESDA on October 9, 2015, to run for Senator. His resignation became official on October 13, 2015.
Becoming a Senator
Villanueva ran for Senator in the 2016 senatorial elections. He was part of the Koalisyon ng Daang Matuwid group. He won the Senate race, coming in second place with over 18 million votes.
His campaign used the nickname "TESDA Man." This name reminded people of his work at TESDA. His platform focused on creating jobs. His platform's name, TESDA, also stood for Trabaho, Edukasyon, Serbisyo, Dignidad and Asenso. This means Employment, Education, Service, Dignity, and Progress.
He ran for re-election in the 2022 senatorial elections as an independent candidate. He was a guest candidate for several political groups. He won again, placing 9th with over 18.5 million votes. After winning, he became the Senate Majority Leader when the 19th Congress began.
In September 2024, the House Committee on Appropriations planned to reduce the budget for the Office of the Vice President. Villanueva questioned this decision. He encouraged the committee to follow the rules consistently for all officials.
Sporting Life
When he was a student at the University of Santo Tomas, Villanueva played basketball. He was part of the UST Growling Tigers varsity team. This team won the UAAP Season 56 and 57 championships in 1994–1995. He also played for the Philippines national basketball team. He competed in international games like the 1994 SEABA Championship.
He returned to playing basketball in 2013 for the Congress-LGU Legislators in the UNTV Cup. In 2014, he played for the Malacañang Patriots. After becoming a Senator, he joined the Senate Defenders basketball team. He was part of the Defenders' team that won the UNTV Cup Season 6 in 2018.
Personal Life
Joel Villanueva has received several awards for his public service. The Bulacan provincial government gave him the Gawad Dangal ng Lipi for Public Service Award in 2012. In 2013, a US-based organization called Development Executive Group (DevEx) gave him the DEVEX Manila 40 Under 40 International Development Leaders Award. His former university, the University of Santo Tomas, named him Most Outstanding Alumni. He also received an Honoris Causa degree of Doctor of Humanities from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines in 2013.
Villanueva has two children, Jaden and Gwyn. He loves basketball and is a fan of the Boston Celtics team. He used to host a TV show called Adyenda. He also leads the Kristiyanong Kabataan para sa Bayan Movement, which is a youth organization.
Joel Villanueva comes from a family involved in politics. His father, Eddie Villanueva, is a congressman. His brother Jonjon is the mayor of Bocaue in Bulacan. His sister Joni was also a former mayor. His sister's husband, Sherwin Tugna, is a former congressman and the current vice mayor of Bocaue.
See also
In Spanish: Joel Villanueva para niños
