Former House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr., a veteran lawmaker who emerged as a key power broker in Philippine politics after the 1986 EDSA uprising, has died. He was 89.
Dagupan City Mayor Belen Fernandez announced de Venecia’s death in a statement posted on social media on Tuesday, describing him as “a five-time Speaker of the House, a statesman of national stature, and the foremost son of Dagupan.”
De Venecia served as Speaker of the House of Representatives for five terms, presiding over the Ninth and Tenth Congresses from 1992 to 1998, and again over the Twelfth, Thirteenth and part of the Fourteenth Congresses from 2001 until 2008.
He was the first Filipino to hold the speakership five times in separate periods.
First elected to Congress in 1987, de Venecia represented Pangasinan for multiple terms and became a key figure in legislative coalition-building.
As Speaker, he helped assemble broad political alliances, including the Rainbow Coalition, which enabled the passage of major economic and social legislation.
He authored and sponsored more than 200 laws, including the Bases Conversion and Development Act, the Build-Operate-Transfer Law, and the Philippine Economic Zone Act.
De Venecia was also involved in peace initiatives during the 1990s, supporting negotiations that culminated in the 1996 peace agreement between the government and the Moro National Liberation Front.
Fernandez credited de Venecia with playing a significant role in Dagupan City’s recovery after the 1990 Luzon earthquake.
In 1998, de Venecia ran for president but lost to then Vice President Joseph Estrada, finishing second in a field of 11 candidates. After Estrada’s ouster in 2001, he returned to the House leadership and was again elected Speaker.
