“On behalf of my wife, former Pangasinan Rep. Gina de Venecia, our son, Pangasinan 4th District Rep. Christopher de Venecia, and the De Venecia family, I join the Ramos family, relatives, friends, and the Filipino people in mourning the passing of a great Pangasinense and Filipino, former President Fidel Valdez Ramos,” said De Venecia in a statement.

De Venecia said Ramos was a hero of the EDSA People Power Revolution and veteran of the Vietnam and Korean Wars.

He noted that Ramos served the country with great distinction.

“He is a decorated military officer who eventually became Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Secretary of National Defense, and President of the Philippines,” he said.

De Venecia added that Ramos as president was best remembered for his peace initiatives, socio-political reforms, economic modernization, people empowerment, and global competitiveness, among others.

And after his presidency, De Venecia said that Ramos continued to serve the country, Asian region, and the international community in private capacity, contributing his wisdom, wealth of experience, and political influence in advancing the causes of peace, security, democracy, and development.

“He and I, together with the late Sen. and Foreign Affairs Secretary Raul Manglapus, founded the Lakas-NUCD-UMDP (National Union of Christian Democrats-United Muslim Democrats of the Philippines), now Lakas-CMD (Christian Muslim Democrats), which became then former Defense Secretary Ramos’ political vehicle that catapulted him to Malacañang in 1992.”

And it was during the Ramos presidency, De Venecia said, he had the privilege to have been elected twice as Speaker of the House of Representatives during the Ninth (1992 to 1995) and Tenth (1995 to 1998) Congresses.

He recalled that the relationship between the Ramos and De Venecia families spanned many decades.

“With the partnership between the Executive and Legislative branches of government, the Ninth and Tenth Congresses passed some 300 socio-political and economic reform laws during the Ramos years.

The Ramos and De Venecia families’ ties go back many decades. Before the outbreak of World War II, our respective fathers, who were lawyers, both worked in the law office of Don Teofilo Sison, who became governor of Pangasinan, senator, and Secretary of Defense during the Philippine Commonwealth.”

“Narciso Ramos eventually became a congressman and Foreign Affairs Secretary, while our father, Jose de Venecia Sr., served as provincial fiscal of La Union, judge-at-large for the entire Bicol region, then promoted as judge of the Court of First Instance (CFI) in Nueva Vizcaya.”