Senator Joel Villanueva has filed his certificate of candidacy for reelection, saying his mission to generate legislation that would create jobs for millions of Filipinos, especially for those displaced from work during the still ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, is continuing.
“Trabaho po ang lagi nating tinatrabaho sa Senado. Kaya ngayon pong araw na ito, ako po ay nag-apply muli ng trabaho bilang inyong empleyado sa Senado sa pangalawang termino. Nais po nating ipagpatuloy ang ating mga ginagawa. Lalong-lalo na po ngayon sapagkat naniniwala tayo at this point in time mas kailangan ng TESDAMAN sa Senado,” Villanueva said after filing his COC.
“Dahil po sa pandemya ang kailangan ay tuloy-tuloy ang paggawa at paglikha ng trabaho,” continued the chairman of the Senate labor committee.
The legislator placed second in the 2016 senatorial race with 18,459,222 votes.
“Perfect attendance tayo sa Senado at hindi tayo umabsent kailanman.”
“These are not just numbers but Filipinos who joined our cause,” the seasoned lawmaker said. “Sila po ang mga Pilipinong tumaya sa misyon ni Tesdaman. Sila po ang dahilan kaya perfect attendance tayo sa Senado at hindi tayo umabsent kailanman.”
“Naghain po tayo at nagsumite ng 500 bills and resolutions at 82 dito ay ganap na batas na. Opo, Republic Acts na po ang work from home law, free tuition law, ang Doktor para sa bayan law, First Time Jobseekers Law, Tulong Trabaho Law at marami pang iba,” the senator said.
He was instrumental in raising the allocation for the TUPAD program, which was meant to provide financial assistance to workers displaced by the pandemic, from P6 billion to P19 billion to cover more workers.
Villanueva was also the main driving force behind the proposed Department of Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos, which seeks to synchronize government programs for OFWs and Filipinos living abroad, among other objectives.
“Magiging ganap na batas na ito pong Department of Overseas Filipino Workers.”
“Tayo rin po ang arkitekto ng dine-deliberate ngayon siguro in the next couple of weeks ay magiging ganap na batas na ito pong Department of Overseas Filipino Workers. Hindi lang po nais nating magkaroon ng blueprint kundi gusto natin every step of the way sa pagtatayo ng bahay na ito andun po tayo,” he explained.
As Senate labor committee chairman, Villanueva also pursued the Ending Endo bill in the 17th Congress, and successfully shepherded the measure’s passage in plenary in 2019. The President vetoed the bill, which was certified urgent, on July 26, 2019.
He said he intends to see through the implementation of the National Employment Recovery Strategy, which the government launched in May to rejuvenate the labor market and restore lost jobs.
The strategy, which includes Villanueva’s Tulong Trabaho scholarship program to prepare our workers for the new normal, targets to create 220,000 jobs and assist 1.4 million workers.
