(UPDATE) MANILA, Philippines — Former Speaker Jose de Venecia passed away, his family confirmed on Tuesday. He was 89 years old.
He was the longest-serving postwar in the country — from 1992 to 1998 and from 2001 to 2008.
He also ran as President in 1998, but lost to then Vice President Joseph Estrada.
In a statement, de Venecia's family said that he devoted his life to public service as a journalist, diplomat, entrepreneur, legislator, Speaker of the House, and global advocate for peace.
"He served seven terms in the House of Representatives, five of them as Speaker — the longest-serving Speaker in the postwar Congress — during which he championed landmark legislation that transformed the Philippine economy, strengthened democratic institutions, and uplifted millions of Filipino families, including overseas workers," they said.
Some of the bills that de Venecia authored included the Dollar Remittance Program, the Bases Conversion and Development Act, the Build-Operate-Transfer Law, the Philippine Economic Zone Act, and the New Central Bank Act.
They also lauded his efforts in pursuing dialogue "at moments when peace efforts were difficult and often unpopular," such as the agreements with the Moro National Liberation Front and the Reform the Armed Forces Movement.
Dagupan City Mayor Belen Fernandez honored de Venecia in a Facebook post, describing him as the "foremost son of Dagupan."
Fernandez said that during the 1990 Northern Luzon Earthquake, it was de Venecia who stood firmly for the city.
"Through his leadership and authorship of the necessary national funding, he became the principal architect of our rehabilitation, recovery, and renewed rise. Because of him, Dagupan did not simply rebuild — we rose stronger," Fernandez said.
