His true friends and loyal allies fondly called him “Sunshine Joe.” But it was imbued with high respect and deep meaning. Through their long years of friendship and close association, “Sunshine Joe” was a proud acclamation of how they knew the late Speaker Jose “Joe” Claveria De Venecia.
This was how the former Speaker shared his “Sunshine Joe” policy in life during his career in business and politics. A five-time Speaker of the House of Representatives, the 89-year-old congressman (4th district, Pangasinan) passed away last week. After three weeks’ stay in hospital, he died happy of old age, his bereaved wife and incumbent Pangasinan Congresswoman Gina “Manay” Vera Perez-de Venecia sadly quipped.
Manay Gina could only blame old age for the demise of Speaker De Venecia.
“He was not sick at all when he went for regular check-up at the hospital,” Manay told us. But he developed pneumonia, then his creatine went up until all his body systems just shut down one after the other, she rued.
His remains lie in state at the Heritage Memorial Park. A statesman by his exemplary service to the nation, he was accorded full military honors at the wake. Manay profusedly thanked President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM) and Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro for “giving him the highest honors of being buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.”
As with government dignitaries, statesmen, National Artists and other deceased persons whose interment at the Libingan has been approved by the President as the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, De Venecia will be laid to rest with full military honors at the Libingan in Taguig City this Wednesday noon.
De Venecia was first elected Speaker 1992 and re-elected until 1998 during his three consecutive terms as Pangasinan congressman. After he lost his presidential bid in the May 1998 elections, De Venecia temporarily stayed out of politics until he ran and won again in his congressional district in 2001. And from then on, he got elected again as Speaker up to 2008.
He lost his presidential bid to a much more popular rival, then vice president Joseph “Erap” Estrada. “It was a landscape victory,” became one of the Erap jokes after his landslide rout of De Venecia. Though he faced off with the popular rival actor-turned-politician Erap, De Venecia fought valiantly as the administration’s presidential candidate, backed by no less than former president Fidel V. Ramos (FVR).
To his credit, De Venecia never got embroiled in the ensuing impeachment when Estrada became president. De Venecia’s wife Manay Gina Vera-Perez’s family closely worked with Estrada in the local movie industry. Turning 88 years old this April, Estrada paid his last respects to De Venecia last Thursday night at the wake, accompanied by son Sen. Jinggoy Estrada.
“Yet what truly reflects statesmanship is that despite political differences, we regard one another as true family friends. And that bond remains to this day,” Sen. Jinggoy said in his speech as co-sponsor of the Senate Resolution honoring the late Speaker.
The Vera-Perez and De Venecia clans, close family friends, relatives, allies, erstwhile critics and foes as well from the entire political spectrum in the Philippines and international organizations also paid last respects to him.
Manay could only mention some of the late Speaker’s foreign friends who flew all the way to Manila to join in the final honors as tribute to his statesmanship. They included the likes of former Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla and his wife; former member of Parliament Iskandar Manji and Vasril Ananta Baharuddin; Pieter Wattimena and Ahmad Fikri Susanto.
A special memorial service by his former House colleagues will be held today at the Batasan Pambansa in Quezon City. Former House Speakers led by ex-Quezon City Rep. Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte will lead the delivery of eulogies.
The couple’s 39-year-old son, former Rep. Christopher “Toff” de Venecia, will join the traditional honors for the late Speaker. Toff, who served the 4th congressional district of Pangasinan from 2019-2022, flew back from London following the death of his father. While Toff pursued post-graduate studies at the University of London, Manay ran and won again in their congressional district. As she turned 77 years old yesterday, Manay became a widow.
Aside from being both sons of Pangasinan, De Venecia and FVR were the founding fathers of the Lakas-Tao (people power) – the original DNA of the present Lakas-Christian-Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) party, shortened from the Lakas-National Union of Christian Democrats.
The Lakas-Tao party formed by FVR and De Venecia drew inspiration from the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution. After all, FVR was among the key characters when our country’s democracy was restored. Incidentally, the Filipino nation marks the 40th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution this Feb.22-25.
As the incumbent Lakas-CMD president, former Speaker, Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez cited De Venecia for having guided the Lower Chamber in the past “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. His vision for a Rainbow Coalition was revolutionary at the time – and yet, it worked, because he made it work. It was his gift: to bring people together across ideologies, faiths and even continents,” Romualdez pointed out. He waxed sentimental and was obviously relating his own most recent experience after he was unceremoniously forced to step down as Speaker in the aftermath of the alleged “ghost” flood control projects.
In her remarks after the necrological rites, Manay thanked leaders and members of the 20th Congress for passing their respective Senate Resolution No.136 and House Resolution 247 honoring the late Speaker De Venecia. Manay expressed their family’s gratitude in particular to ex-Speaker Romualdez for steering the House approval renaming the People Center at the Batasan as Jose de Venecia Building and allowing their family to establish the Jose de Venecia Museum, a.k.a. “Sunshine Joe,” inside the same building.