Pangasinan mulls declaring Dec. 26 as ex-Speaker Jose de Venecia Day
LAMBINO (FB)
MALASIQUI, Pangasinan – The Pangasinan provincial board is mulling to declare Dec. 26 every year as the late former House of Representatives Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. Day to honor the legacy of the former five-time Speaker of the House.
"There are just some fine-tunings of the ordinance itself. But I think it's just right that we honor the memory and the legacy of our former Speaker," said Vice Gov. Mark Ronald Lambino in an interview on Monday.
He said it would be a provincial holiday but would decide later on if it would be a working or non-working one.
"It can be discussed during the committee hearings on what would be the arrangement. Maybe something similar to how Pangasinan Day was crafted before. But it will definitely be just a local holiday in the province," he said.
In Dagupan City, a chartered city of Pangasinan, Dec. 26, the birth date of De Venecia was declared as "Speaker Jose de Venecia Day" through Ordinance No. 2370-2026, authored by Councilors Luis Samson and Michael Fernandez.
It is a special working day of commemoration unless declared as special non-working holiday of the national government.
De Venecia was born in Dagupan City on Dec. 26, 1936.
He served seven terms in the House of Representatives, five of them as Speaker, making him the longest-serving House leader in the post-war Congress.
Fondly called “JDV” or “Speaker Joe,” he was the architect of the Rainbow Coalition, an alliance that united diverse political parties.
He was also the principal author of landmark laws, including the Dollar Remittance Program, Bases Conversion and Development Act, Build-Operate-Transfer Law, Philippine Economic Zone Act, and New Central Bank Act.
The De Venecia family announced his passing on Feb. 10 at the age of 89. (PNA)