Jose Laurel, Jr.

Infobox Officeholder
name =Jose B. Laurel, Jr.
office =Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines
term_start =1953
term_end =1957
predecessor =Eugenio Perez
successor =Daniel Romualdez
office2 =Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines
term_start2 =1967
term_end2 =1971
predecessor2 =Cornelio Villareal
successor2 =Cornelio Villareal
office3 =Representative, 3rd District of Batangas
term_start3 =1941
term_end3 =1957
predecessor3 =Maximo M. Kalaw
successor3 =Jose M. Laurel IV
office4 =Representative, 3rd District of Batangas
term_start4 =1961
term_end4 =1972
predecessor4 =Jose M. Laurel IV
successor4 =Milagros Laurel-Trinidad [Seat abolished in 1972, restored in 1987]
birth_date =birth date|1912|8|27
birth_place =Tanauan, Batangas, Philippines
death_date =death date and age|1998|3|18|1912|8|27
death_place =Metro Manila, Philippines
nationality =Filipino
party =Nacionalista Party
spouse =Remedios Lerma
alma_mater =University of the Philippines
occupation =lawyer

Jose Bayani Hidalgo Laurel, Jr. [ [http://www.freewebs.com/foundationproject08/profile.htm Jose P. Laurel Memorial Foundation] ] (August 27, 1912 – March 18, 1998) was a Filipino politician who was elected twice as Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines. A stalwart of the Nacionalista Party, he was the party's candidate for Vice-President of the Philippines in the 1957 elections.

Early life

Laurel was born in Tanauan, Batangas, the son of Jose P. Laurel, who would serve as President of the Philippines from 1943 to 1945. His younger brother, Salvador, would become Vice-President of the Philippines in 1986, while his elder brother Sotero would be elected Senator in 1987.

Laurel finished his intermediate and secondary education in Manila, and enrolled at the University of the Philippines. In 1936, he received his law degree from the U.P. College of Law and passed the bar exams the following year.

Political career

In 1941, Laurel won his first election, as a Member of the House of Representatives from Batangas. However, his term was interrupted by the Japanese invasion in late 1941. [Paras & La Vina, p. 106] For the duration of the war, Laurel assisted his father, who was designated as President of the Philippines under the 2nd Philippine Republic.

When the Philippine Congress was restored upon independence in 1946, Laurel again sought election to the House of Representatives representing the Third District of Batangas. He was successful in his bid, and would be re-elected to to the Second and Third Congresses. In 1954, he was elected to his first term as Speaker of the House. He gave up his Speakership, as well as his seat in the House in 1957 when he was drafted instead to run as Vice-President under the Nacionalista ticket spearheaded by Carlos P. Garcia. He was defeated by Diosdado Macapagal of the Liberal Party even as Garcia went on to victory.

In 1961, Laurel regained his seat in the House of Representatives, and would serve in that capacity until martial law was declared in 1972. He was again elected Speaker in February of 1967 and remained in that position until 1971, when Cornelio Villareal of the Liberal Party regained the Speakership.Paras & La Vina, p. 107] Laurel retired from politics after Congress was closed in 1972. He reemerged in the public eye as a member of the 1986 Constitutional Commission that drafted the present Philippine Constitution.

During his congressional career, Laurel focused on economic issues. He was an advocate of a planned economy and protectionism. Laurel was among those who, in 1965, recruited Senate President Ferdinand Marcos to join the Nacionalista Party as its presidential candidate against Diosdado Macapagal.

Death and family

Laurel died of pneumonia at the age of 85 in March of 1998.

Two of his children, Jose Macario IV and Lally also became Members of the House of Representatives, representing the same seat their father had held. [Paras & La Vina, p. 108] The actor Noel Trinidad was his son-in-law.

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