Photo courtesy of Hilda Austria/PNA.
The Pangasinan provincial board is considering declaring Dec. 26 each year as a provincial holiday to honor the late former House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr.
Vice Governor Mark Ronald Lambino said the ordinance is undergoing minor adjustments but emphasized the importance of recognizing De Venecia’s legacy.
“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,” Lambino said.
He noted that the provincial holiday’s status as working or non-working will be decided during committee hearings.
“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 added.
Dagupan City, De Venecia’s birthplace, already observes Dec. 26 as “Speaker Jose de Venecia Day” under Ordinance No. 2370-2026. The city marks it as a special working day unless the national government declares otherwise.
Born on Dec. 26, 1936, De Venecia served seven terms in the House of Representatives, five of them as Speaker, making him the longest-serving leader in post-war Congress.
He was known as “JDV” or “Speaker Joe” and authored key legislation such as the Dollar Remittance Program, Bases Conversion and Development Act, Build-Operate-Transfer Law, Philippine Economic Zone Act, and New Central Bank Act. His family announced his passing on Feb. 10 at the age of 89.
