Senator says inclusion in three slates a ‘testament’

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

Re-electionist Senator Joel Villanueva on Wednesday said his inclusion in the Senate slates of three presidential candidates in the 2022 elections was a testament to his first-term performance and the continued need for a “TESDAMan” in Congress’ upper chamber.

Villanueva is included as a guest candidate in the Senatorial line-ups of Vice President Leni Robredo and Senators Panfilo Lacson and Manny Pacquiao.

He met with Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. for a physical courtesy call on Wednesday, and later held a short press conference at the capitol.

During the press conference, Villanueva said he ran as an independent to focus on his legislative advocacy of adding more jobs and advocating for better working conditions, especially amid the economic impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

He cited his experience as a former chief of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority from 2010 to 2015. Like in his 2016 campaign, he still uses the ‘TESDAMan’ moniker and will appear as his name on the ballot in 2022.

“What I bring to the table is all about creation of jobs. This is my forte, I’ve been a ‘TESDA man’ for quite some time. For me, if I go from one party to another, what may happen is that our focus will be destroyed,” Villanueva said.

He also talked about his adoption by three presidential tickets, saying that it was a validation of his track record and a push to continue his focus after 2022.

He added that as chairman and president of the Citizens Battle Against Corruption (CIBAC) Party List, he will also call the shots as to whose presidential bid they will support.

“It is perhaps the validation of what we have done, and as they were saying, they need someone like a ‘TESDA Man’ in the senate, who would focus on these issues, job creation, skills training, and development and protection of our workers,” he said.

As to the timing of his visit, Villanueva said that he did feel it was necessary for him to come to Iloilo physically.

He added that it was essential for him as a lawmaker to know the situation on the ground, taking swipe at the national Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID).

“It’s a great lesson for any legislator to go around and see how our people are doing as long as you have to submit to the safety protocols of the [IATF-MEID] and the local government. I feel it’s necessary for us to find out what is really going on in the different areas of the country. Otherwise, I am sorry to say this, but we may be like the [IATF-MEID] which does policies without consulting the local government units,” he said.

PANDEMIC RESPONSE

Villanueva also touted a National Economic Recovery Strategy in response to the economic effect of the pandemic.

Emphasizing on job recovery and generation, his idea would be to come up with a scorecard which would assess sectors. He cited Iloilo’s agricultural, technological, and tourism sectors.

From that scorecard, he suggests that strategies to promote and sustain job growth, as well as help in their retention, would be mapped out and employed.

He also stated that his office has communicated with the secretaries of Trade, Labor, and Science departments of the Duterte administration to encourage them to pick up the idea.

“In these particular industries, let us start mapping out how many jobs can we create, and we can recover. Since there were resorts that closed down, which ones are we anticipating to reopen, and when they do reopen, how many jobs do we anticipate to be given there? I want to break that down per region and per province, and find out the numbers per industry,” Villanueva explained.

ELECTORAL REFORMS

Villanueva also gave his take on issues hounding the current election cycle, which include substitution of candidates, and the abundance of political parties.

He said that he disagreed with the use of substitution by withdrawal, calling it a “mockery of the electoral system”.

For the 2022 elections, the Commission on Elections has allowed substitution of withdrawn candidates until Nov. 15, 2021.

There has been talk that Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte would eventually substitute candidates under the PDP-LABAN and Lakas-CMD parties, using the same strategy her father used to enter the 2016 presidential race.

“There are technical provisions which can be run around, and eventually maximized. If that’s the case, why wasn’t the filing deadline set to November 15?” the senator said.

He also floated other ideas, including restricting to a two-party system, and government subsidies for campaign funding.