Eddie Villanueva

Eduardo "Eddie" Cruz Villanueva (born October 6, 1946), most commonly referred to as "Bro. Eddie Villanueva", is an evangelist and president-founder of one of the largest "Christ-centered", "Bible-based", "full-gospel" churches in the world, the Jesus Is Lord Church Worldwide (JILCW).

For the Venezuelan runner, see Eduar Villanueva.


In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Cruz and the surname or paternal family name is Villanueva.
The Honorable

Eddie Villanueva
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines
Assumed office
July 22, 2019
PresidentRodrigo Duterte
Member of the Philippine House of Representatives for Citizens' Battle Against Corruption
Assumed office
June 30, 2019
Preceded bySherwin Tugna
Personal details
Born
Eduardo Cruz Villanueva

(1946-10-06) October 6, 1946
Bocaue, Bulacan, Philippines
Political partyCIBAC (2019–present)
Other political
affiliations		Bangon (2004–present)
Spouse(s)Adoracion Jose Villanueva (d. 2020)
Children4 (notably Joel)
Websitebroeddie.ph

Villanueva was previously a communist-atheist, radical activist, and street parliamentarian. During martial law, he was imprisoned twice for fighting alongside the oppressed for their rights against land grabbing syndicates.

Villanueva is also the founder of the Philippines for Jesus Movement (PJM), which has more than forty bishops from different Christian churches nationwide as members.

Villanueva was a presidential candidate in the 2004 and 2010 Philippine elections[1][2] and a senatorial candidate in the 2013 midterm Philippine elections,[3][4] all as the standard bearer of the Bangon Pilipinas Party.

Villanueva is a radio-TV evangelist owning ZOE Broadcasting Network, a commercial television and radio broadcaster which owns VHF Channel 11 and UHF Channel 33 (Light TV).

He is also the owner and founder of the Jesus Is Lord Colleges Foundation, Inc. (JILCF), a Christian school in Bocaue, Bulacan, where his wife, Adoracion Villanueva is the school president.[5][6]

He is currently a member of the 18th Congress of the Philippines and has been a Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives since July 22, 2019.

Early life

Villanueva was born on October 6, 1946 in Bocaue, Bulacan to parents Joaquin Villanueva and Maria Cruz. Joaquin Villanueva was a former Olympic sprinter who represented the Philippines in the Far Eastern Games for four consecutive years in 1920s.[7]

Education

In 1969, Villanueva graduated with a degree in commerce, majoring in economics, from the Philippine College of Commerce (PCC), since renamed the Polytechnic University of the Philippines. He was immersed in both student and labor movements in the 1970s, joining the progressive segments of society which opposed Marcos' dictatorship. Villanueva also took up law at the University of the Philippines but was already into so much activism that he never had time to take the bar [examination]. During Martial law, he fought local landgrabbers in Bulacan and ended up being jailed twice for his political beliefs and participation in various mass actions.[7][8]

He worked as a full-time faculty member in the Economics and Finance Department of PCC until 1972. He then worked as the export manager of Maran Export Industries in 1973 and from 1976 to 1977, he was the general manager of the Agape Trading Co. He returned to PCC, now renamed, in 1978 as a part-time professor.[7]

Religious involvement

According to their church's website, Villanueva claimed to have "had a life-changing encounter with the Lord in 1973 while at the forefront of a leftist movement". At that time, he was also leading his family (and other families) in his home province of Bulacan in an uphill, protracted legal battle as he himself became a victim of a notorious land-grabbing syndicate. Five days after that "dramatic encounter with God", Villanueva was brought face to face with a miracle he could never forget: the land-grabbers were arrested and detained.[9]

On October 5, 1978, Villanueva founded the Jesus Is Lord Church Worldwide formerly named Jesus Is Lord Fellowship, "which started with just 15 members from his Bible studies". In 2007, JIL stated it had "over five million members today in 18 cities in Metro Manila, 80 provinces in the Philippines and 60 countries in the world. Most members abroad are overseas Filipino workers and their families." [10][11]

On homosexuality

Villanueva is against homosexuality; he said in an interview, "According to the Bible, don't imitate what happened in Sodom and Gomorrah because judgment will befall on the country if it's done".[12]

Politics

2004 presidential bid

Villanueva campaigned in the 2004 Philippine presidential election.

Despite the polls done by Social Weather Stations and Pulse Asia showing him trailing among the four contenders,[13] Villanueva was confident that he would win the elections saying that "this is why we do not believe in the surveys of the two companies that are usually commissioned by political parties here — because the more than three million human bodies (at my rally) can indicate the real results of the survey."[14]

2010 presidential bid
Main article: 2010 Philippine presidential election
Eddie Villanueva together with Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) governor Nur Misuari and broadcast journalist Kata Inocencio during his 2010 presidential campaign under the Bangon Pilipinas

Villanueva ran again for the 2010 presidential election where he lost for the second time; he finished fifth out of nine presidential candidates with 1,125,878 votes or 3.12% of the total votes.[1][2][7]

Awards and recognitions

Villanueva was ordained Minister of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ in 1979 by the California-based Victory in Christ Church and International Ministries. He has also been conferred the office of Episcopacy by the Sectarian Body of Christ in the Philippines in April 1996. Two months later, Villanueva received the Gintong Ama (Golden Father) award for Socio-Civic/Religious Sector from the Golden Mother and Father Foundation in June 1996.[15][16]

In February 2001, Villanueva received the EDSA People Power Freedom Award for ZOE TV 11 for its fair coverage of the People Power II movement. He founded and owns ZOE Broadcasting Network Inc. and operates Channel 11 on Filipino television. Bro. Eddie hosts three ZOE programs, Diyos at Bayan, PJM (Philippines for Jesus Movement) Forum and Jesus The Healer.[7][16]

Personal life

He is married to Sis. Adoracion "Dory" Villanueva (died March 10, 2020) and they have four children. His eldest son, Eduardo "Jon-Jon" Villanueva, Jr., is a former mayor of Bocaue, Bulacan who lost his campaign in 2004 but won in the May 2007 elections. Jonjon was charged with murder for allegedly ordering the shooting of a soldier of the Armed Forces of the Philippines during the May 2007 elections.[17][18][19][20] His other son, Sen. Emmanuel Joel Villanueva, is currently a Senator and became the youngest member of the House of Representatives when he took his oath of office as a representative of the CIBAC partylist on February 6, 2002.[7][21] His daughter, Joni Villanueva-Tugna (died May 28, 2020), was a Christian singer, TV host, and former mayor of Bocaue from 2016 until 2020. According to the Philippine Star, Joel Villanueva was the fifth richest party-list congressman with a net worth of P18.4 million. His other daughter, Edelisha Jovi, is an educator.

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References
  1. "2010 Philippine Presidential Election | The Presidentiables Blog". 2010presidentiables.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2013-03-26.
  2. "This time, Bro. Eddie targets Senate seat | Rappler.com". Rappler.com. Retrieved 2013-03-26.
  3. Ballaran, Jhoanna Paola. "Bro. Eddie Villanueva Running for Senator". Manilatimes.net. Archived from the original on 2013-01-15. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
  4. "Eddie Villanueva to run for senator in 2013 | ABS-CBN News". Abs-cbnnews.com. Retrieved 2013-03-26.
  5. "CONTACT US | Jesus Is Lord Colleges Foundation Inc". jilworldwide.org. Archived from the original on 2016-03-09. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
  6. "Jesus Is Lord Colleges Foundation, Inc". www.jilcf.edu.ph. Archived from the original on 2016-03-10. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
  7. "Eddie Villanueva Official Website". Retrieved 2013-04-17.
  8. "Villanueva's biography". Eddie Villanueva Official Website. 1946-10-06. Archived from the original on 2010-03-22. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
  9. "Bishop Bro. Eddie C. Villanueva - The Man, His Message, and the Ministry". Jesus Is Lord Church Worldwide Official Website. 2009-04-29. Archived from the original on 2011-07-26. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
  10. "JIL holds prayer rally to mark 29th year". The Philippine Star. 2007-10-02. Archived from the original on 2012-09-15. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
  11. "Jesus Is Lord Church Worldwide". Jilworldwide.org. Retrieved 2013-04-17.
  12. Calonzo, Andreo. "Most senatorial bets against same-sex marriage; Enrile is lone supporter". Retrieved 2013-09-06.
  13. Paredes, Ducky (2004-03-04). "Column: Sws, Pulse Asia Agree On Gma". Malaya. Archived from the original on 2004-04-05. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
  14. "Bro. Eddie: Rp Reborn After Polls". The Philippine Star. 2004-05-11. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
  15. "Ecumenical Leadership on Politics: What good will it bring? | Eddie Villanueva". Ichor26.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2013-03-26.
  16. "Bro. Eddie Villanueva - YouTube". Youtube.com. Retrieved 2013-03-26.
  17. Brother Eddie’s candidate-son faces murder raps, Philippine Daily Inquirer, May 2007
  18. Bocaue bet Villanueva charged with murder. GMANews.TV. 2007-05-09. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
  19. Anak ni Bro Eddie Villanueva kinasuhan ng pagpatay, GMA News, October 3, 2007
  20. AFP pushes murder raps vs Jon-jon Villanueva, GMA News, May 9, 2007
  21. Bro. Mike's rep is richest party-list lawmaker, Philippine Star, June 7, 2009
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