JDV urges to run either in Senate or House

By Mortz C. Ortigoza DAGUPAN CITY – Former five-time House speaker Jose de Venecia said he has been receiving proposals from different sectors for him to either run in the senate or the House of Representatives. “Some people are telling me to run for the senate, my constituents in the 4th District are also asking me to run for the House of Representatives -- back to my old seat although manay Gina (de Venecia’s wife) is also doing a good job,” stressed by de Venecia who is famously called JDV. He said however that his allies and colleagues in the international organizations like International Conference of Asian Political Parties and the bigger Centrist Asia-Pacific Democrats International he both founded and presided asks him to continue his pioneering works for the political and economic integration in Asia-Pacific. When asked incase he runs and wins the congressional seat in the 4th congressional district of Pangasinan, would he reclaims his old post as speaker: “Speakership is a thankless task, and there would be problems and risks. But by and large I think he (Incumbent Speaker Sonny Belmonte) has done a good job and he is doing a good job”. Belmonte he said has been successful in passing legislation for the Aquino Administration, and was successful in forming coalition among smaller political parties. “In a sense he is doing well”. During de Venecia’s tenures in the speakership, he authored classic laws like Build Operate and Transfer Law (precursor of the Public-Private-Ownership) which has built railways, electric power plants, airports, markets and infrastructure worth more than $30 billion at no cost to the Philippine government, the US Bases Economic Conversion that turned Clark, Subic, Camp John Hay, La Union’s Wallace Field into free ports and special economic zones and Forth Bonifacio into a satellite city. He was responsible also in forming the rainbow coalition among seven rambunctious political parties for a critical collaboration with the presidency of Fidel V. Ramos -- who has a minuscule allies in the August Chamber when he wins the presidency with only 24 percent share of the national vote to boot.