Reelected Senator Villanueva open to being part of minority (Sabong News)

Reelected Senator Joel Villanueva on Wednesday, May 18, said he is open to being part of the minority of the Senate. “When it comes to leadership issues, kung ano ang mapag-usapan (whatever will be agreed upon), I will submit to the wisdom of the group. I can say I am open to be[ing] part of the minority,” he told reporters before the proclamation of 12 winning senatorial bets at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) Forum Tent. Based on the most recent tally of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), which covered 172 out of the 173 certificates of canvass (COCs), Villanueva landed in the ninth spot in the 2022 senatorial race. He garnered 18,486,034 votes. Comelec Commissioner Aimee P. Ferolino presented to Villanueva the certificate of proclamation at the PICC Forum Tent on Wednesday, May 18. Villanueva, in his speech, thanked all the people who voted for him, and those who supported his candidacy. Upon filing his certificate of candidacy (COC) in October 2021, Villanueva said that he has filed and submitted 500 bills and resolutions, noting that 82 of them are now laws. “These are now Republic Acts—the Work from Home Law, Free Tuition Law, Doctor for the People Law, First Time Jobseekers Law, Tulong Trabaho Law, and many more,” he said in a statement. In the 2016 elections, Villanueva ranked second highest in the polls for senator as he garnered a total of 18,459,222 votes. Before becoming a senator, he was the director-general of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) for five years.