JDV at 90: The global Filipino, the sentimental man
Jose de Venecia Jr. or JDV is a giant who took big strides, not tiptoed, through Philippine history with his groundbreaking initiatives (like the Dollar Remittance Program, which brought security to millions of overseas Filipino families); his negotiating skills and his inimitable charm in building coalitions (like the “Rainbow Coalition,” which enabled the passage of crucial economic and social reforms during his five terms as Speaker of the House of Representatives) and on the world stage (I once accompanied him and his wife, now Pangasinan Rep. Gina de Venecia, to a conference of parliamentarians in Sri Lanka and thought to myself, “This man is a rock star.”).
The former Pangasinan congressman is the only Filipino to serve five terms as Speaker — during the ninth, 10th, 12th, 13th and 14th Congresses.
He has authored more than 200 landmark economic and social reform laws like the Bases Conversion Law, transforming former military camps into thriving centers like Bonifacio Global City and Clark; the Build-Operate-Transfer Law, laying the foundation for modern public-private partnerships; and the Philippine Economic Zone Law, opening doors to investment, jobs, and regional development.
He is also a peacemaker. In the early ‘90s, he reached out not just to allies but to then government adversaries—to insurgents and secessionists.
He founded and nurtured institutions such as the International Conference of Asian Political Parties, the Asian Parliamentary Assembly, the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace, the Asian Peace and Reconciliation Council, and his Interfaith Dialogue initiative at the United Nations.
Aldwin B. Requejo, who has worked with JDV for 30 years now, starting as a 20-year-old assistant, wrote with admiration in a published article, “In the many countries we visited, I saw firsthand how deeply respected you were by heads of state and government, and how naturally you moved among presidents, prime ministers, and royalty — not with pretense, but with an ease born of trust earned over time. Beyond the five-time Speaker and Asian statesman, I came to know the dreamer who believed peace was possible, and that politics, at its best, could serve both national progress and the human spirit.”
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JDV celebrated his 90th birthday last Sunday at the Golden Bay Restaurant in Parañaque, organized by Manay Gina. JDV is not as spritely as he used to be, but remains as gracious as ever.
Joe and Gina are the poster couple, Exhibit A, if you will, for joyful marriages — where each spouse brings out the best in the other. They have supported each other through life’s hurricanes, especially the devastating death of their daughter KC, in a fire in 2004. They were proud parents when their son former Pangasinan Rep. Christopher de Venecia took on the torch passed by his father from 2016 to 2025.
During one of her birthday celebrations, Gina thanked Joe, “who has always been the wind beneath my wings; the eagle who taught this little sparrow to fly.”
Gina furthered thanked Joe, whom she lovingly calls “Babe,” for watching her “soar into the sky, to launch her into flight once again if by chance she slips.”
They were first introduced by Chito Antonio in the early ‘80s and their first date was during a screening of the movie Flash Dance, during which the jetlagged JDV fell asleep.
Gina, instead of being turned off, thought, “This man needs someone to take care of him.”
Three days after they met, JDV sent her roses.
In the accompanying note he reportedly wrote:
“In each rose, I crown thee the empress of my heart and the sovereign of my domain.”
Today, Gina, the empress of JDV’s heart, still nurtures him, as she has vowed from the moment she realized she cared for him.
I think Gina is JDV’s best 90th birthday gift because she has always regarded him as God’s own gift to her. *
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