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February 10, 2026 | 3:30pm
MANILA, Philippines — Jose de Venecia Jr., the first lawmaker to serve five separate terms as House speaker, died at 89 on Tuesday, February 10, his wife, Rep. Gina de Venecia (Pangasinan, 4th District), announced.
Also known as "Speaker Joe" or "Manang Joe," De Venecia was elected House speaker for four full terms during the 9th, 10th, 12th and 13th Congresses.
He also served as speaker for one year from 2007 to 2008 under the Arroyo administration, but lost his post after members decided to oust him.
Before his removal, De Venecia accused Arroyo of orchestrating his ouster and later joined the opposition to criticize corruption. In 2017, he was appointed special envoy for inter-cultural dialogue under the Duterte administration.
His political career began during the Marcos Sr. administration at 32 years old, representing Pangasinan's 2nd District and later the 4th District after the House was restored following Martial Law.
Former House Speaker Martin Romualdez paid tribute to his mentor De Venecia, recognizing the former speaker as one of the founding fathers of the Lakas political party — originally known as Lakas-NUCD (National Union of Christian Democrats) and now Lakas-CMD (Christian Muslim Democrats).
Among the laws he helped pass was the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) Law, which institutionalized the framework for public-private partnerships. He also championed the creation of the Central Bank of the Philippines.
"He guided the House of Representatives through some of the most pivotal moments in our country’s history. Under his steady hand, Congress became a workshop of reforms and a sanctuary of consensus," Romualdez said in a statement.
Dagupan City Mayor Belen Fernandez also mourned the former speaker's passing. He said De Venecia, who was born in Dagupan, had helped with the city’s rehabilitation after the 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck the province in 1990.
"On behalf of a grateful Dagupan, I extend our deepest condolences to his family. His legacy lives in the streets, institutions, and progress of the city he so dearly loved," she said in a Facebook post.
Rep. Joel Chua (Manila, 3rd District), also a member of Lakas, called De Venecia the architect of the "Rainbow Coalition" and praised his skills as a "master negotiator" who brought together political groups post-Martial Law to pass economic, political and social reforms under the Ramos administration.
"My generation of Lakas members would be wise to exude the same JDV energy and determination. We would do well to push the reforms needed in these challenging times," he said in a statement.
De Venecia was a journalism graduate of Ateneo de Manila University, where he served as associate editor of the college’s official student publication, The Guidon, and also as editor-in-chief of The Aegis.
He went on to become Manila bureau chief and Philippine correspondent for the Pan-Asia Newspaper Alliance and wrote a weekly column on Asian affairs for the pre-Martial Law Philippine Herald. Before entering politics, he also co-founded the Radio Philippine Network.
The late statesman also ran for president in the 1998 elections and placed second after former president Joseph Estrada.
De Venecia is survived by his wife, Gina, and their children Sandra, Leslie, Vivian, Joey, Christopher and Kristina Casimira Perez.
