Jose de Venecia Jr.
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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 of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, serving from 1992 to 1998 and from 2001 to 2008. As Speaker, he was the fourth highest-ranking official of the Philippines. He was the former president of the Philippines' dominant party, Lakas-CMD. He ran for president in the 1998 election, but lost to Vice President Joseph Estrada, 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 Pangasinan, officially the Province of Pangasinan ( pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Pangasinan, ; ilo, Probinsia ti Pangasinan; tl, Lalawigan ng Pangasinan), is a coastal province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region of Luzon. Its capit ...
. He served as Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives throughout the
Ninth In music, a ninth is a compound interval consisting of an octave plus a second. Like the second, the interval of a ninth is classified as a dissonance in common practice tonality. Since a ninth is an octave larger than a second, its ...
, Tenth, Twelfth and
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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 ad ...
. He had served for more than a year as the House Speaker of the
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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 in 2008.


Early life and career

De Venecia was born in Dagupan 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, agriculture in Africa, and mass housing and oil exploration in the United Arab Emirates. 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 Hydrocarbon exploration (or oil and gas exploration) is the search by petroleum geologists and geophysicists for deposits of hydrocarbons, particularly petroleum and natural gas, in the Earth using petroleum geology. Exploration methods Vis ...
program that led to the first oil and gas strikes in offshore Palawan. 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 Pangasinan, officially the Province of Pangasinan ( pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Pangasinan, ; ilo, Probinsia ti Pangasinan; tl, Lalawigan ng Pangasinan), is a coastal province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region of Luzon. Its capit ...
from 1969 to 1972. After the restoration of the House of Representatives 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 Lakas means ''strength'', ''power'' in Tagalog and may refer to: * Lakas ng Bayan (English: People's Power), a political party in the Philippines * Lakas–CMD, a political party in the Philippines founded in 2009 * Lakas–CMD (1991), a political ...
, of President Fidel Ramos. He initiated the move to unite the
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, a cluster of the
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, the Union of Muslim Democrats, and the
Lakas Tao Lakas means ''strength'', ''power'' in Tagalog and may refer to: * Lakas ng Bayan (English: People's Power), a political party in the Philippines * Lakas–CMD, a political party in the Philippines founded in 2009 * Lakas–CMD (1991), a political ...
to make it a dominant party. That same year, he was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives. 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 Lakas means ''strength'', ''power'' in Tagalog and may refer to: * Lakas ng Bayan (English: People's Power), a political party in the Philippines * Lakas–CMD, a political party in the Philippines founded in 2009 * Lakas–CMD (1991), a political ...
, 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 (MNLF) secessionists in Mindanao, the RAM-SFP-YOU military rebels, and the
Communist Party of the Philippines The Communist Party of the Philippines ( fil, Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas) is a far-left, Marxist-Leninist-Maoist revolutionary organization and communist party in the Philippines, formed by Jose Maria Sison on 26 December 1968. It is desi ...
which operates the New People's Army (NPA). He crossed Africa's Sahara Desert twice to meet the Libyan 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 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 M ...
Chairman Nur Misuari and assisted in forging a peace agreement at
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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 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 w ...
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, Chairman of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (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. 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. 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 New Year's Day is a festival observed in most of the world on 1 January, the first day of the year in the modern Gregorian calendar. 1 January is also New Year's Day on the Julian calendar, but this is not the same day as the Gregorian one. Wh ...
of 2001 calling for a ''smooth transition of power'' to the Vice President.
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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 Pangasinan, officially the Province of Pangasinan ( pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Pangasinan, ; ilo, Probinsia ti Pangasinan; tl, Lalawigan ng Pangasinan), is a coastal province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region of Luzon. Its capit ...
. 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
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ruling that junked the petition for the
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of the Chief Justice

In the 2004 Philippine general election, 2004 election, he became instrumental for Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's victory as president. 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 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 (KAMPI) announced that 134 congressmen signed a
manifesto A manifesto is a published declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party or government. A manifesto usually accepts a previously published opinion or public consensus or promotes a ...
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's
1st district The Innere Stadt (; Central Bavarian: ''Innare Stod'') is the 1st municipal district of Vienna () located in the center of the Austrian capital. The Innere Stadt is the old town of Vienna. Until the city boundaries were expanded in 1850, the Inn ...
representative
Prospero Nograles Prospero Castillo Nograles (October 30, 1947 – May 4, 2019, ) was a Filipino politician who served as the Speaker of the House of Representatives from 2008 to 2010. He was the first Speaker from Mindanao in a hundred years of Philippine legis ...
. During the regular session on February 4, 2008, Palawan Representative Abraham Kahlil Mitra moved that the position of
House Speaker The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerfo ...
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 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 Raul Loyola Lambino (born March 9, 1958) is a Filipino lawyer. He rose to prominence when he led the signature campaign to amend or revise the 1987 Philippine Constitution. Lambino is married to Marilyn de Guzman, and has three children: Mark ...
. 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 Abraham Kahlil Blanco Mitra (born January 3, 1970) is a Filipino politician currently serving as the chairman of the Games and Amusement Board since 2016. He previously served as a presidential consultant, congressman, and governor of Palawan. He ...
, an ally of Davao City Rep.
Prospero Nograles Prospero Castillo Nograles (October 30, 1947 – May 4, 2019, ) was a Filipino politician who served as the Speaker of the House of Representatives from 2008 to 2010. He was the first Speaker from Mindanao in a hundred years of Philippine legis ...
, 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 Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945), also known as Digong, Rody, and by the initials DU30 and PRRD, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the chairperson ...
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 declaration.


Performance rating

On January 7, 2008, the Social Weather Stations (November 30 to December 3, 2007) survey 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. De Venecia then married Georgina Vera-Perez, daughter of Filipino film producer
Jose Vera Perez Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. *Jose ben Abin * Jose ben Akabya *Jose the Galilea ...
. They have two children:
Christopher Christopher is the English language, English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek language, Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or ''Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Jesus ...
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 Dasmariñas (colloquially shortened to Dasma), officially the City of Dasmariñas ( fil, Lungsod ng Dasmariñas), is a 1st class component city in the province of Cavite, Philippines. With a land area of and a population of 703,141 people acc ...
, Makati. 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 El Santuario is a town and municipality in the Antioquia Department, Colombia. Part of the subregion of Eastern Antioquia Eastern Antioquia ( es, Oriente Antioqueño) is subregion of the Colombian Department of Antioquia. The region consi ...
chapel in Makati.


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