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 as during his term as Speaker.

Early life

Pérez was born on November 13, 1896, in Sitio Obong, Barrio Basista, San Carlos, Pangasinan (now Barangay Obong, Basista, Pangasinan). He earned his Bachelor of Arts at the University of the Philippines in 1918 and his law degree from that institution's College of Law in 1922. While in law school, he worked as a clerk in the Bureau of Agriculture and the Executive Bureau.

Political career

Pérez first entered politics in 1926 when he was elected to the municipal council of his hometown, San Carlos. In 1928, he was elected to the House of Representatives of the Philippine Islands (later National Assembly) as a Representative of the 2nd district of Pangasinan. He served for nine consecutive terms.

In 1946, Pérez joined the newly established Liberal Party, which obtained a congressional majority in the House of Representatives in the 1946 general elections. He was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives when the 1st Congress of the Philippines convened later that year, and would serve as House Speaker throughout the 1st and 2nd Congresses.

Pérez was a leading congressional ally of Presidents Manuel Roxas and Elpidio Quirino, both of whom were Liberals. He helped secure the passage of the Bell Trade Act and the Parity Rights Amendment to the Constitution, allowing American citizens and corporations equal access to Philippine minerals, forests and other natural resources. He defended the exercise of President Quirino of emergency powers granted to the President after the end of World War II. When Quirino grew increasingly unpopular, Pérez rejected pleas from fellow Members of Congress to challenge the incumbent president for the Liberal Party nomination in the 1953 presidential elections. Perez managed the unsuccessful re-election campaign of Quirino in 1953.

The Liberal Party lost its congressional majority in the House of Representatives in the 1953 general elections. Pérez assumed the role of Minority Floor Leader, while he was succeeded as House Speaker by Jose Laurel, Jr. of the Nacionalista Party. Pérez died in office on August 4, 1957.

Family

Pérez was married to a soprano, Consuelo Salazar with whom he had three legitimate children, Victoria, Consuelo and Eugenio Jr.

His first daughter, Victoria, was the first wife of Jose de Venecia Jr., who would become House Speaker thirty-five years after Pérez's death. His second daughter Consuelo is a lawyer and served as associate commissioner of the National Telecommunications Commission and commissioner of the Commission on Information and Communications Technology. His legitimate son Eugenio Perez Jr. is a Dartmouth alumnus.

Furthermore, when he was a bachelor, he acknowledged having one prior biological child, José "Pepito" Pérez, who was born on December 3, 1929.

Legacy

*Yearly on November 13, a special non-working holiday in commemoration of his birth is observed at his home province of Pangasinan.
*A street in Quezon City, a national road network from Rosales to Binmaley, and a building in San Carlos, Pangasinan, are named after him.
*A bust of Perez is located at the plaza of San Carlos, Pangasinan.

Notes

References

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Perez, Eugenio
Speakers of the House of Representatives of the Philippines
Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Pangasinan
20th-century Filipino lawyers
People from San Carlos, Pangasinan
University of the Philippines alumni
1896 births
1957 deaths
Nacionalista Party politicians
Majority leaders of the House of Representatives of the Philippines
Minority leaders of the House of Representatives of the Philippines
Presidents of the Liberal Party of the Philippines
Members of the Philippine Legislature
Members of the National Assembly of the Philippines