Joel Virador | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of thePhilippine House of Representatives forBayan Muna Partylist | |
| In office November 7, 2003 – June 30, 2007 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1967-03-05)March 5, 1967 Kidapawan City, Philippines |
| Died | May 7, 2019(2019-05-07) (aged 52) Davao City, Philippines |
| Political party | Bayan Muna |
| Spouse | Imelda Suarez Lumayag |
| Alma mater | Notre Dame of Kidapawan College |
Joel G. Virador (March 5, 1967 – May 7, 2019)[1][2] was aFilipino human rights advocate, activist, and politician who was partylist representative forBayan Muna in the12th and13th Congresses of the Philippines.
Virador was born on March 5, 1967, inKidapawan,Cotabato to parents that trace their roots toBohol.[1]
He went toNotre Dame of Kidapawan College for his elementary, secondary, and college education. He graduated from college with a Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce Major in Accounting in 1987.[3] While studying, he was the chairperson of that college's League of Filipino Students and secretary-general of theBagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) in Cotabato.[1]
After graduation, Virador worked as a volunteer at theTask Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP). He later became the organization's regional director in Southern Mindanao from 1987 to 1995. In 1995, after eight years serving the TFDP, Virador was appointed secretary-general ofKarapatan.[1] After 5 years with Karapatan, Virador joined Bayan Muna in 2000 becoming the party's spokesperson in Southern Mindanao.
Virador, in 2002, was charged with rebellion after his name was linked to the alias of aNew People's Army commander. The case was later dismissed. In 2005, police charged Virador with direct assault and illegal assembly after he led a labor strike inSampaloc, Manila, on October 21, 2005.[1][4] The court dismissed the charges in May 2006.[5]
Virador was nominated as Bayan Muna's 4th nominee for the2001 Philippine House of Representatives elections.
On November 7, 2003, following the resignation ofCrispin Beltran, Virador assumed the vacated party-list seat. While in Congress, Virador stood up to deliver privilege speeches questioning the legality of joint RP-USBalikatan military exercises in Mindanao, the violation of human rights of the civilian populace during military operations, and the problems of landlessness and displacement of peasant tillers and rural workers.
On February 24, 2004, Virador was nominated as Bayan Muna's 3rd nominee for the2004 Philippine House of Representatives elections where he won a seat. During his stint in the13th Congress of the Philippines, he was concerned mostly with issues of indigenous peoples, theMoros, and the environment. He also handled the party's issues on agriculture, women and privatization of water services. He was vice-chairperson of the House of Representatives' Mindanao Affairs Committee.
Bayan Muna opposedGloria Macapagal Arroyo's presidency on claims of corruption due to theHello Garci controversy, thefertilizer fund scam, allegations over widespread human rights abuses, including theState of Emergency in February 2006. During the suspension of freedoms, the 6 members were sought out with arrest warrants by the government and took refuge in Congress. Crispin Beltran was illegally arrested by state agents and was detained for more than a year. Virador was nabbed by state agents inDavao City. Thenceforth, the group of Bayan Muna,Anakpawis andGabriela representatives --Satur Ocampo,Teodoro Casiño, Virador,Liza Maza, Beltran and fellow Anakpawis Rafael Mariano became known as theBatasan 6.
Virador was married to Imelda Lumayag-Virador, an activist and Bayan Muna member. They had two children, daughter Joanna Paula Vasig, and son Harvey Rafael Virador.[1][2]
Virador died on May 7, 2019, at Brokenshire Hospital in Davao City due to papillary carcinoma or thyroid cancer. He was first diagnosed sometime in 2013.[2]
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