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Jose Claveria de Venecia Jr. (), also known as JDV, Joe De V or Manong Joe (born December 26, 1936), is a former
Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...
of the
House of Representatives of the Philippines The House of Representatives of the Philippines ( fil, Kapulungan ng mga Kinatawan ng Pilipinas, italic=unset, ''Kamara'' or ''Kamara de Representantes'' from the Spanish word ''cámara'', meaning "chamber") is the lower house of Congress, the ...
, serving from 1992 to 1998 and from 2001 to 2008. As Speaker, he was the fourth highest-ranking official of the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
. He was the former president of the Philippines' dominant party, Lakas-CMD. He ran for
president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
in the 1998 election, but lost to
Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...
Joseph Estrada Joseph Ejercito Estrada, (; born Jose Marcelo Ejercito; April 19, 1937), also known by the nickname Erap, is a Filipino politician and former actor. He served as the 13th president of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, the 9th vice presi ...
, finishing second among 11 candidates. Beginning in 1987, De Venecia has been elected to six terms as a Representative of the
4th district Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...
of Pangasinan. He served as
Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives The speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines ( fil, Ispiker ng Kapulungan ng mga Kinatawan ng Pilipinas), more popularly known as the House speaker, is the presiding officer and the highest-ranking official of the lower house ...
throughout the Ninth, Tenth, Twelfth and
Thirteenth In music or music theory, a thirteenth is the note thirteen scale degrees from the root of a chord and also the interval between the root and the thirteenth. The interval can be also described as a compound sixth, spanning an octa ...
Congresses of the Philippines A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
. He had served for more than a year as the House Speaker of the Fourteenth Congress when on February 5, 2008, 174 representatives, or a considerable majority of members of the House, voted to remove de Venecia as Speaker. He is the first Filipino who has held the Speakership five times in separate terms. He was conferred an Honorary Doctorate in International Relations from the
University of Cambodia The University of Cambodia (often referred to as UC for short; km, សាកលវិទ្យាល័យកម្ពុជា, ''Sakâlvĭtyéalai Kămpŭchéa'') is a private university located on Northbridge Road in Sen Sok District, Phnom P ...
in 2008.


Early life and career

De Venecia was born in
Dagupan Dagupan, officially the City of Dagupan ( pag, Siyudad na Dagupan, ilo, Siudad ti Dagupan, fil, Lungsod ng Dagupan), is a 2nd class independent component city in the Ilocos Region, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populati ...
to Judge Jose R. de Venecia Sr. and Casimira Villamil Clavería. In 1947, he finished his elementary studies at the Dagupan Elementary School where he was accelerated by one year. He completed his secondary education at the De La Salle College High School, and finished Journalism at the
Ateneo de Manila , mottoeng = Light in the Lord , type = Private, research, non-profit, coeducational basic and higher education institution , established = December 10, 1859 , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic (Jesuits) , academic_affi ...
, being an outstanding Associate Editor of The Guidon and Editor-in-Chief of the school annual, The Aegis. As an entrepreneur, de Venecia pioneered overseas contract work for Filipinos where he was one of the first Philippine prime contractors in the Middle East and North Africa in the mid-1970s. He hired 51,000 Filipinos for his companies and engaged in port operations in
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
, agriculture in Africa, and mass housing and oil exploration in the
United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at t ...
. His Middle East initiative was followed and later led to the employment of millions of Filipinos. In the 1970s, he was initiated an oil and gas exploration program that led to the first oil and gas strikes in offshore
Palawan Palawan (), officially the Province of Palawan ( cyo, Probinsya i'ang Palawan; tl, Lalawigan ng Palawan), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in t ...
. He was elected president of the Petroleum Association of the Philippines. De Venecia was a diplomat as Minister-Economic Counselor from 1966 to 1969. He conceived and implemented the historic dollar-remittance program for overseas Filipino workers worldwide. He was one of the Ten Outstanding Congressmen before martial law in the Philippines. De Venecia came from an influential political family. His grandfather, Guillermo de Venecia was the municipal president (now known as mayor) from 1916 to 1918 and from 1925 to 1926. He ran and won as congressman of the 2nd district of Pangasinan from 1969 to 1972. After the restoration of the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
in 1987, he ran and won as congressman of the fourth district of Pangasinan.


Speaker of the House (1992-1998)

He was reelected in 1992 and joined the newly created party, Lakas Tao, of President
Fidel Ramos Fidel Valdez Ramos (, ; March 18, 1928 – July 31, 2022), popularly known as FVR and Eddie Ramos, was a Filipino general and politician who served as the 12th president of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998. He was the only career military ...
. He initiated the move to unite the National Union of Christian Democrats, a cluster of the Progressive Party of the Philippines, the Union of Muslim Democrats, and the Lakas Tao to make it a dominant party. That same year, he was elected
Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...
of the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
. Since Ramos got a low plurality in the election, De Venecia created a ''Rainbow Coalition'', converging political parties that include the LDP, NPC, Lakas NUCD, and other minor parties to make a solid majority in the House. He was reelected as congressman and speaker in 1995.


Peace envoy

As Ramos' peace envoy, Speaker De Venecia reached out to insurgent groups
Moro National Liberation Front The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF; ar, الجبهة الوطنية لتحرير مورو) is a political organization in the Philippines that was founded in 1972. It started as a splinter group of the Muslim Independence Movement. The ...
(MNLF) secessionists in Mindanao, the RAM-SFP-YOU military rebels, and the Communist Party of the Philippines which operates the
New People's Army The New People's Army ( fil, Bagong Hukbong Bayan), abbreviated NPA or BHB, is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), based primarily in the Philippine countryside. It acts as the CPP's principal organization, aim ...
(NPA). He crossed Africa's
Sahara Desert , photo = Sahara real color.jpg , photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972 , map = , map_image = , location = , country = , country1 = , ...
twice to meet the
Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...
n leader
Muammar al-Gaddafi Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi, . Due to the lack of standardization of transcribing written and regionally pronounced Arabic, Gaddafi's name has been romanized in various ways. A 1986 column by ''The Straight Dope'' lists 32 spellin ...
and MNLF Chairman
Nur Misuari Nur Misuari ( Tausug: ''Nūr Miswāri'', born Nurallaji Pinang Misuari; March 3, 1939) is a Moro Filipino revolutionary and politician, founder and leader of the Moro National Liberation Front. Early and Personal life Nur Misuari was born o ...
and assisted in forging a peace agreement at
Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to: Cities and other geographic units Greece *Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in ...
in 1976. His persuasion to Misuari to accept autonomy led to the signing of the peace pact on September 2, 1996. In 1992, De Venecia began secret talks with leaders of the military rebels, led by Commodore Calajate, Gen. Abenina, and Col. Honasan, which led to a ceasefire in December of that year and a final peace agreement in 1995. In April 1997, De Venecia journeyed to the Netherlands to meet with self-exiled leaders of the National Democratic Front and
New People's Army The New People's Army ( fil, Bagong Hukbong Bayan), abbreviated NPA or BHB, is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), based primarily in the Philippine countryside. It acts as the CPP's principal organization, aim ...
led by
Jose Maria Sison Jose Maria Canlas Sison (February 8, 1939 – December 16, 2022), also known by his nickname Joma, was a Filipino writer and activist who founded the Communist Party of the Philippines and added elements of Maoism to its philosophy – which ...
and Luis Jalandoni. He was the first Christian leader to enter Mindanao's Camp Abubakar mountains in November 1997 and open breakthrough peace negotiations with
Hashim Salamat Salamat Hashim, also known as Hashim Salamat, was a Filipino militant who served as leader of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. He is the founder of the group. Early life and education Hashim was born in Midsayap, Cotabato (now Pagalungan, Mag ...
, Chairman of the
Moro Islamic Liberation Front The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF; ar, ''Jabhat Taḥrīr Moro al-ʾIslāmiyyah'') is a group based in Mindanao seeking an autonomous region of the Moro people from the central government. The group has a presence in the Bangsamoro r ...
(MILF), and military Commander Murad.


1998 presidential election

In 1998, the dominant party Lakas-NUCD-UMDP held a convention to select Ramos' successor as titular president and candidate for the May 11 election. A long list of candidates was trimmed and led to a choice between De Venecia and then National Defense Secretary
Renato de Villa Renato "Rene" Salud de Villa (born July 20, 1935) is a Filipino former police and military officer and government official. He served as Chief of Philippine Constabulary, Director-General of the Integrated National Police, and Chief of Staff of ...
. Though De Villa was seen as the frontrunner, De Venecia won the convention vote and De Villa bolted the party to form a new one called '' Partido Reporma''. De Venecia garnered the second highest number of votes in a field of 11 candidates, though he was far behind the winner,
Joseph Estrada Joseph Ejercito Estrada, (; born Jose Marcelo Ejercito; April 19, 1937), also known by the nickname Erap, is a Filipino politician and former actor. He served as the 13th president of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, the 9th vice presi ...
. After he lost his bid, he departed from media attention and political limelight. In one of his interviews, De Venecia said that he was depressed and took several months to recover.


Reentry to the politics

De Venecia reemerged on New Year's Day of 2001 calling for a ''smooth transition of power'' to the
Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...
. Estrada belittled de Venecia's statements, however, the former was ousted January 20 of that year.


Speaker of the House (2001-2008)

In the 2001 election, he won without opposition as congressman of the 4th District of Pangasinan. He was reelected overwhelmingly by the House, and was voted by some critical left-wing partylist representatives. In 2003, he received an unexpected high commendation from the public when he accepted the Supreme Court ruling that junked the petition for the impeachment of the Chief Justice

In the 2004 Philippine general election, 2004 election, he became instrumental for
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal Arroyo (, born April 5, 1947), often referred to by her initials GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician serving as one of the House Deputy Speakers since 2022, and previously from 2016 to 2017. She previously ...
's victory as
president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
. He also won by a landslide as congressman and was reelected as speaker for the fourth time.


NBN-ZTE scandal

On July 10, 2007, De Venecia's supporters opposed secret balloting by the majority coalition to select the speaker of the House of Representatives in the Fourteenth Congress. Rep. Eduardo Zialcita of Parañaque, said the House is not a "secret society.

Meanwhile, Sorsogon Rep. Jose Solis accused De Venecia's son, Jose de Venecia III, for questioning a $330 million broadband connection deal between the Philippine government and Chinese firm ZTE. Solis hit De Venecia III for desiring to have his Amsterdam Holdings, Inc. (AHI) get the deal (which will connect national government agencies to local government units through the Internet and save government up to P3 billion in telephone expenses every year). Solis further claimed that AHI is a "veritable mom's-and-pop's enterprise with a reported paid-up capital of only P650,000. How can AHI possibly undertake this project when it may not even have enough funds to run a mini grocery?


Re-election as Speaker

On July 23, 2007, 159 lawmakers picked De Venecia House Speaker for 5th time—after the House commenced at 2:17 pm, a roll-call vote for the position. De Venecia was the lone nominee, while his opponent, Cebu Rep. Pablo Garcia, was not nominated. Iloilo Rep. Arthur Defensor was elected Majority Leader while San Juan Rep.
Ronaldo Zamora Ronaldo "Ronny" Bayan Zamora (born December 4, 1944) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who previously served as representative of the lone district of San Juan. He topped the bar exams in 1969 and was among the Ten Outstanding Young Men of th ...
was elected minority leader. The 14th Congress of the House of Representatives is composed of 240 lawmakers, 21 of whom are party-list representatives


Ousted as Speaker

On January 31, 2008,
Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino The Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (KAMPI), formerly known as the Kabalikat ng Mamamayang Pilipino, was a political party in the Philippines. It is the main party of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. In June 2008, Kampi merged into the Lak ...
(KAMPI) announced that 134 congressmen signed a manifesto of "loss of confidence" versus Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. Camarines Sur's 2nd district Rep.
Luis Villafuerte Luis Robredo Villafuerte Sr. (August 29, 1935 – September 8, 2021) was a Filipino politician who served as Governor of Camarines Sur and as a member of the House of Representatives from 2004 to 2013. He represented Camarines Sur Camarines ...
, KAMPI president, said the successor should be
Davao City Davao City, officially the City of Davao ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Dabaw; ), is a first class highly urbanized city in the Davao Region, Philippines. The city has a total land area of , making it the largest city in the Philippines in terms of lan ...
's 1st district representative Prospero Nograles. During the regular session on February 4, 2008,
Palawan Palawan (), officially the Province of Palawan ( cyo, Probinsya i'ang Palawan; tl, Lalawigan ng Palawan), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in t ...
Representative Abraham Kahlil Mitra moved that the position of House Speaker be declared vacant. Before the motion was submitted to a vote, De Venecia delivered a speech before the House where he criticized President
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal Arroyo (, born April 5, 1947), often referred to by her initials GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician serving as one of the House Deputy Speakers since 2022, and previously from 2016 to 2017. She previously ...
and alleged that her government was behind the move to oust him from the speakership. He recounted the times he had stood to defend President Arroyo, and said, ''"It pains me grievously to hurt the President and to hurt the First Family because I have invested so much more than any of you in this chamber to help the President become Vice President, become President…."'' Shortly after his remarks, de Venecia acknowledged to reporters: "I will join the opposition to denounce corruption in this administration. I will join the battle against corruption." During his speech at the House plenary, De Venecia said that three military generals visited his house. They were accompanied by Raul Lambino. De Venecia's son reported the incident to the Makati police. The Speaker, meanwhile, wrote a letter to President Arroyo to ask her to do something about the threat on their lives. The Speaker said he asked Mrs. Arroyo in a letter to "please do something." "''It's simple arrogance. Just plain arrogance that Malacañang and the people of the Palace are above the law. Someday this can happen to you''," he said. The speech was delivered hours after Palawan's 2nd district Rep. Abraham Kahlil Mitra, an ally of Davao City Rep. Prospero Nograles, moved the speaker's position be declared vacant.


Post-speakership

Shortly after midnight, February 5, 2008, 174 members of the House voted in favor of the motion to declare the position of House Speaker as vacant, removing de Venecia from his position. 35 members voted against the motion while 16 members abstained. Nograles was elected as the new House Speaker. On March 10, 2008, Mr. De Venecia resigned his post as president of Lakas-CMD. Since then he has remained active. In 2010 he travelled to the United States to speak to Filipino people who were living and working there. He mentioned that overseas workers sent over $18 billion home every year and said about this: "This is your contribution. You must be aware of it, you should be proud of it. This is why we call you the heroes and heroines of the Filipino people." In April 2017, De Venecia was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte as Special Envoy for Inter-Cultural Dialogue. The Department of Foreign Affairs said that as special envoy, De Venecia will serve to advise the administration on policies regarding cultural diversity and citizen participation under the
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
declaration.


Performance rating

On January 7, 2008, the
Social Weather Stations The Social Weather Stations or SWS is a social research institution in the Philippines founded in August 1985. It is a private, non-stock, nonprofit institution. It is the foremost public-opinion polling body in the Philippines. As an independent ...
(November 30 to December 3, 2007)
survey Survey may refer to: Statistics and human research * Statistical survey, a method for collecting quantitative information about items in a population * Survey (human research), including opinion polls Spatial measurement * Surveying, the techniq ...
stated that Speaker Jose de Venecia's performance rating has 37% satisfied and 37% dissatisfied, or net +1, having been in single digit since December 2004.


Personal life

De Venecia married Victoria Perez, the daughter of
Eugenio Pérez Eugenio Padlan Pérez (November 13, 1896 – August 4, 1957) was a Filipino politician who served as Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from 1946 to 1953. He was a member of the Liberal Party, whose president he served a ...
, who served as Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1946 to 1953. Together, they had 4 children: Alexandra (Sandra), Leslie, Vivian, and Jose III (Joey). Their marriage, ended in a divorce, and Perez now lives in
Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York C ...
. De Venecia then married Georgina Vera-Perez, daughter of Filipino film producer Jose Vera Perez. They have two children: Christopher and Kristina Casimira (KC). Georgina, also known a
Manay Gina
was previously married to construction manager Felipe Cruz with whom she had 2 children. The former host of a television drama series, she is currently a social worker and a radio host.


House fire

On December 17, 2004, a fire originating from Christmas tree lights gutted de Venecia's house in Dasmariñas Village,
Makati Makati ( ), officially the City of Makati ( fil, Lungsod ng Makati), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. Makati is the financial center of the Philippines; it has the highest concentration ...
. His 16-year-old daughter KC died of suffocation after being trapped inside the house. KC's remains were cremated and her ashes were buried at the Santuario de San Antonio chapel in
Makati Makati ( ), officially the City of Makati ( fil, Lungsod ng Makati), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. Makati is the financial center of the Philippines; it has the highest concentration ...
.


References


Resume/CV of Jose de Venecia


External links


The biography of Jose de Venecia Jr.The official website of Jose de Venecia Jr.The official website of the Philippine House of Representatives


Notes

, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Venecia, Jose de Jr. 1936 births Living people De La Salle University alumni Candidates in the 1998 Philippine presidential election People from Dagupan 20th-century Filipino businesspeople Speakers of the House of Representatives of the Philippines Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Pangasinan Lakas–CMD (1991) politicians Liberal Party (Philippines) politicians Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino politicians Duterte administration personnel