JOSE de Venecia, the country’s longest-serving post-war speaker of the House of Representatives and the architect of the so-called “Rainbow Coalition,” has passed away at the age of 89, his family said Tuesday. In a statement, they said de Venecia 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. 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. Born in Dagupan, Pangasinan on Dec. 26, 1936, de Venecia was a student journalist during his college years at the Ateneo de Manila University, later becoming a Manila Bureau chief of the Pan-Asia Newspaper Alliance and also becoming a co-founder of the Radio Philippines Network alongside James Lindenberg. De Venecia was also an economic press counselor of the Philippine Embassy in Saigon, where he conceived the dollar remittance program for overseas Filipino workers. He first became a lawmaker in 1969 but this was cut short in 1972 when martial law was declared. He returned in 1987 and ran for three successive terms, becoming speaker in 1992. During his time as speaker, de Venecia created the so-called “Rainbow Coalition,” which convened different political parties such as the Laban ng Demokratiko Pilipino, Nationalist People’s Coalition and the Lakas-National Union of Christian Democrats, which he co-founded with former president Fidel Ramos. Some of the bills that de Venecia authored include 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. De Venecia ran for president in 1998 under the Lakas-NUCD-UMDP-Kampi coalition, with Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as his running mate, but he lost to then-vice president Joseph Estrada. He returned to politics in 2001 after Estrada’s resignation. He was again elected speaker in 2001, creating another coalition called the “Sunshine Coalition,” but resigned in 2008 after his son, Joey de Venecia, was involved in the NBN-ZTE scandal. Lakas president and former speaker Martin Romualdez said that de Venecia was more than just a public servant, but a statesman in the truest sense of the word. “He possessed the rare gift of seeing far beyond the horizon, and even rarer, the wisdom to bring others with him. As one of the founding fathers of Lakas — then popularly known as Lakas-NUCD — he helped build not just a political party, but a national movement rooted in unity, peace, and inclusive leadership,” Romualdez said. Speaker Faustino Dy III said de Venecia was a “respected statesman whose vision helped shape modern Philippine democracy and whose leadership left an enduring imprint on the institution he once led.” “His life of public service was marked by intellect, courage, and an undeniable devotion to the Filipino people,” Dy added. 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. De Venecia is survived by his wife, current Pangasinan 4th District Rep. Gina Vera Perez-de Venecia, and five children, including Joey de Venecia and Christopher “Toff” de Venecia. One of his daughters, KC de Venecia, died in a house fire in 2004. Architect of modern Dagupan De Venecia was both a national power broker and the man widely credited for rebuilding and modernizing his hometown of Dagupan City, Pangasinan after its darkest hour. His most enduring local legacy emerged after the 7.7 magnitude Luzon earthquake of July 16, 1990, which devastated Dagupan through widespread liquefaction that sank buildings, crippled roads, and displaced thousands of families. As Pangasinan’s congressman, he led the passage of the P10-billion Earthquake Rehabilitation Fund, ensuring that Dagupan — one of the worst-hit cities — received a large share of the emergency reconstruction budget. Through this fund and the international development assistance he helped secure, major infrastructure such as the Magsaysay Bridge, road networks, and public facilities were rebuilt in just two years, restoring economic life to the city. For transforming disaster into a catalyst for modernization, de Venecia earned the title “Architect of Modern Dagupan.” Dagupan Mayor Belen Fernandez paid tribute to him as the leader who stood for the city during its “darkest hour,” calling him its “foremost son.” De Venecia leaves behind a legacy that blends statesmanship, political power, reform, controversy, and deep loyalty to Dagupan. To his supporters, he was the man who rebuilt a broken city and strengthened Congress. To critics, he was a central figure in one of the most turbulent political eras of the Arroyo years. His story remains inseparable from the history of Dagupan City and from the broader narrative of Philippine democracy and governance.