Joel Villanueva

On November 14, 2016 Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales ordered the dismissal from the public service of the Senator 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. Villanueva alleged that the incriminating documents were forged. Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III was directed by the Ombudsman to implement the order imposed against Villanueva.

Prior to launching a senatorial bid, he tendered his resignation from the post in October 9, 2015. His resignation went effective in October 13, 2015 and President Benigno Aquino III named TESDA deputy director general, Irene Isaac as his successor.

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. He filed his certificate of candidacy at the Commission on Elections in October 16, 2015. He unexpectedly won the Senate race, landing in second place.

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. After winning a Senate seat, Villanueva joined the Senate Defenders basketball team, in preparations for the opening of Season 5 of the UNTV Cup. He was part of the Defenders' championship team that won the UNTV Cup Season 6 in 2018.

Campaigning under the moniker "TESDA Man" (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).

He was given the Gawad Dangal ng Lipi for Public Service Award by the Bulacan provincial government in 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 in February 19, 2013. A former student of the University of Santo Tomas, he was named as Most Outstanding Alumni Award by the university. He was granted a Honoris Causa degree of Doctor of Humanities by the Polytechnic University of the Philippines in May 10, 2013.

He was appointed by President Benigno Aquino III as TESDA chief in 2010. 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".

Villanueva was elected to the Philippine House of Representatives in 2001 as a party-list representative of the Citizens' Battle Against Corruption (CIBAC). 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).

He 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 and minority leader of the House's Commission on Appointments. He was also among the principal sponsors of Republic Act 9485 (the Anti Red-Tape Law of 2007).

While 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. Villanueva was part of the Philippines national basketball team that competed in international basketball competitions such as the inaugural 1994 SEABA Championship (coached by Virgil Villavicencio).

Emmanuel Joel Villanueva (/b ɪ l j ɑː n uː w ɛ b ɑː / , born August 2, 1975) is a Filipino politician, who serves as a Senator of the Philippines. He took his senatorial seat following the 2016 Philippine national elections, where he ranked second highest in the polls with 18,459,222 votes. He was a former Director General of the Philippine TESDA from 2010-2015 and a three-term congressman from 2001 through 2010. Villanueva was the youngest member of the House of Representatives when he assumed office in February 2002.

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. 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 graduate studies in Business Administration from 1996 to 1998.