Senator Loren Legarda: I would not have been a senator if not for 'Manong Joe' de Venecia

Senator Loren Legarda paid tribute to her mentor "Manong Joe" — former House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. who passed away on February 10.

In a eulogy delivered on February 16, 2026, Legarda regarded him as a mentor, a peacemaker, and a statesman whose life and service shaped generations of public servants.

“How do we measure the life of a man who always seemed to stand at the crossroads of our nation’s story?” Legarda asked in her eulogy.

She said she spoke “not only as a Senator of the Republic, but as one of the many whose paths were defined by the generosity and faith of former Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr.”

“He was our beloved Manong Joe – a statesman to the world, a peacemaker in times of division, but to many of us, a mentor and a friend,” she said.

Legarda credited de Venecia for helping launch her political career, recalling that in 1997, he invited her to join the Lakas party when she was still a journalist.

“I probably would not be a Senator today if, in 1997, Manong Joe hadn't brought me into his Lakas party. I was then a 37-year-old journalist, far from imagining a career in the Senate. He believed in my capabilities long before I did,” she said.

She added that de Venecia “shared his knowledge and wisdom, opened doors that I did not even know existed, and insisted that my voice and the voices of everyday Filipinos have a place in the great conversation about our nation’s future.”

Legarda said she would remember not only his unprecedented five terms as Speaker and his international leadership roles, but also his personal guidance.

“What I will remember most is not his unprecedented five terms as Speaker, nor the many organizations he founded and led across Asia and the world. I will remember the quiet conversations, the sincere words of encouragement, the way he made you feel that your work and your voice mattered,” she said.

She quoted a passage from one of de Venecia’s recent articles, in which he wrote: “Public office is both a privilege and a crucible. It tests your resolve, challenges your principles, and demands sacrifices not only from you but also from your loved ones.”

Legarda said the words “ring painfully true today” and serve as “a gentle reminder to all of us who remain in public service that the position we hold is temporary, but the integrity with which we bear its burdens will outlast us.”

She highlighted de Venecia’s role in steering the country through the post-Martial Law period, noting his leadership in building the “Rainbow Coalition,” pushing key reforms, converting former military bases into development zones, opening the economy, advancing the welfare of overseas Filipino workers, and pursuing peace initiatives.

“Manong Joe or JDV lived that truth. He helped steer our country through turbulent post-Martial Law years, building the ‘Rainbow Coalition’ that enabled long-needed reforms to pass and helping to heal the fractures in our democracy,” she said.

She added that he “reached out to those who had once stood on the other side of conflicts, not because it was convenient, but because he believed that peace, however challenging, was always worth taking a risk for.”

Legarda said that beyond politics, de Venecia was deeply concerned with people, particularly farmers, overseas workers, and young public servants.

“For him, politics was never simply about power. It was about building bridges between parties, between religions, between generations so that the Republic he loved could endure and become more humane, more inclusive, more at peace with itself,” she said.

Expressing personal grief, Legarda said she mourned “not only the country’s loss of a brilliant leader and statesman, but my own loss of a mentor and a dear friend.”

“I will miss the occasional meetings, the thoughtful advice, and the gentle but firm reminders that we can always do better for our people,” she said.

She also addressed de Venecia’s family, particularly his wife, former Representative Gina de Venecia.

“To Cong. Gina and the de Venecia family, please know that we share your grief, but we also share your pride,” Legarda said, noting that the Senate in 2024 had adopted a resolution honoring de Venecia’s “illustrious career and his invaluable contributions to the country.”

She concluded by saying that de Venecia’s greatest legacy lay in the people he inspired and the values he passed on.

“His greatest legacy is not only the institutions he built or the laws he passed, but the men and women he encouraged – that includes me – the younger leaders he formed, and the faith in this Republic that he passed on to us,” she said.

“Rest in peace, our dear Manong Joe. We will honor you best not by our words today, but by the way we choose to serve the country every day.”

-Paraluman News