The celebration of the 47th anniversary of the influential Jesus is Lord (JIL) Church, a revered moment of spiritual reflection and gratitude for its massive following, was shockingly and controversially transformed into a political battleground by one of the nation’s most powerful legislators. Senator Joel Villanueva, a prominent figure and acknowledged member of the religious community, seized the sacred podium—a stage reserved for messages of faith and divine renewal—and unleashed a furious, high-decibel defense of his embattled political career. The resulting spectacle, described by critics as a profound act of political opportunism and spiritual disrespect, has thrown a powerful, uncomfortable spotlight onto the core issue plaguing his public life: his alleged, deep-seated involvement in the notorious Flood Control Scandal. The passionate, near-apoplectic intensity of his denials, which observers noted caused the veins in his neck to nearly burst with strain, has failed to sway public opinion, instead fueling an even more aggressive demand for his accountability in a court of law.

The central critique leveled against the Senator is not merely about the content of his defense, but the egregious sacrilege of the setting. As critics pointed out, a church anniversary is a time to focus on spiritual growth, the blessings of the Almighty, and the community’s mission, not to conduct a desperate, personal campaign to cleanse a name tainted by public corruption allegations. By choosing the pulpit—the ultimate symbol of truth and moral authority—to address a purely secular, financial, and political matter, the Senator is widely accused of leveraging the profound trust and spiritual authority of his religious base as a political shield. This perceived manipulation has been labeled a low point in political conduct, suggesting a willingness to sacrifice the sanctity of a religious event for the brutal needs of his political survival.

During his thunderous, highly visible address, the Senator made several stunning claims designed to completely absolve himself in the eyes of his church members. First, he claimed he was the original whistle-blower, the one who first exposed the massive flood control anomaly—a claim immediately and vehemently disputed by critics who point to the initial revelations made by higher executive authorities. Second, and most critically, he swore before his congregation that he had zero flood control projects and was not involved in any financial misconduct or corruption schemes whatsoever. His emphatic pronouncements were delivered with an aggressive certainty, daring anyone—including his fellow JIL members—to doubt his clean record. Furthermore, he claimed that the entire campaign against him was a political “set up,” a fabrication orchestrated by a powerful syndicate whose illicit operations he had bravely challenged and exposed.

However, the power of his public testimony immediately clashed with the cold, unforgiving reality of the public record and judicial testimony. His vehement denial of any involvement in flood control projects has been directly and explosively contradicted by the sworn testimony of former high-ranking Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials, including individuals identified as Henry Alcantara and JP Mendoza. These witnesses detailed a disturbing system of influence and financial demands. They testified that the Senator’s office actively and repeatedly requested funding for Multipurpose Buildings (MPBs)—a common, easily disguised avenue for funding requests—in amounts ranging from a staggering ₱900 million to over ₱1 billion. When the requested amounts could not be secured through the MPB channel, the funds were allegedly “converted” into flood control projects, a desperate, yet traceable, maneuver to satisfy the demands.

The most damaging and career-threatening detail that emerged from these testimonies was the explicit mention of colossal kickbacks. Alcantara and Mendoza allegedly admitted to transferring a staggering ₱150 million in kickbacks to the Senator’s camp, generated from the same multipurpose building projects that were initially requested. This is not a vague accusation; it is a specific, numerical claim of illegal financial exchange made under oath. The Senator’s furious, passionate denial from the JIL pulpit—claiming “no corruption”—pales in comparison to the specific, detailed counter-testimony that outlines the request, the conversion, and the massive financial payoff, suggesting a blatant disregard for the truth during his religious address.

Further eroding the credibility of his denial is the existence of verifiable physical evidence that completely shatters his claim of having no flood control projects. Public records from the DPWH in Bulacan document the Senator’s direct involvement, including photographs and official paperwork, confirming his presence at the inspection of a flood control project—specifically the Lolomboy Pumping Station 3 in the Bucawi River—in November 2021. This inspection, which included local government officials, was related to a ₱292 million flood control project that Alcantara claimed was sourced from the Senator’s allocated budget. The documentation of his physical presence at the site of the very project he denies involvement with turns his claim of innocence into a provable deception based on the government’s own archives.

The ultimate consequence of the Senator’s high-risk, low-reward political performance is the overwhelming public and political consensus that his explanation should be reserved for the appropriate venue. Critics are united in their demand: the Senator must cease using his religious platform for personal defense and instead submit himself to the judicial process. His emotional, almost hysterical delivery at the JIL anniversary—while captivating as a public spectacle—is entirely irrelevant to the legal truth. As numerous commentators have stated, the court of law, not the court of public opinion or the sanctuary of a church, is the only place where these allegations of demanding colossal amounts of money and receiving massive kickbacks can be definitively resolved. Until he does so, his furious, dramatic denial, delivered before thousands of faithful members, will remain the defining image of a powerful political figure attempting to use spiritual sanctity as a shield against a devastating, undeniable legal reckoning. The nation now awaits the painful moment of truth when the Senator must trade his pulpit for the witness stand, where only factual evidence, not passionate rhetoric, will decide his fate.