Eugenio Perez

Infobox Officeholder
name =Eugenio Perez
office =Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines
term_start =1946
term_end =1953
predecessor =Jose Zulueta
successor =Jose Laurel, Jr.
office2 =Representative, 2nd District of Pangasinan
term_start2 =1928
term_end2 =1957
predecessor2 =Isidoro Siapno
successor2 =Angel B. Fernandez
birth_date =birth date|1896|11|13
birth_place =San Carlos, Pangasinan, Philippines
death_date =death date and age|1957|8|4|1896|11|13
death_place =
nationality =Filipino
party =Nacionalista Party
spouse =Consuelo Salazar
alma_mater =University of the Philippines
occupation =lawyer

Eugenio Perez (November 13, 1896 – August 4, 1957) was a Filipino politician who served as Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from 1946 to 1953. He was a member of the Liberal Party, whose president he served as during his term as Speaker.

Early life

Perez was born in San Carlos, Pangasinan. He earned his Bachelor of Arts at the University of the Philippines and his law degree from that institution’s College of Law. While in law school, he worked as a clerk in the Bureau of Agriculture and the Executive Bureau. [Paras & La Vina, p. 99]

Political career

Perez first entered politics in 1926 when he was elected to the municipal council of his hometown, San Carlos. In 1928, he was elected to the Philippine Legislature as a Representative of the Second District of Pangasinan. Perez would be re-elected to his congressional seat for eight consecutive terms. In 1946, Perez joined the newly-established Liberal Party, which obtained a congressional majority in the House of Representatives in the 1946 general elections. He was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives when the 1st Congress of the Philippines convened later that year, and would serve as House Speaker throughout the 1st and 2nd Congresses.

Perez was a leading congressional ally of Presidents Manuel Roxas and Elpidio Quirino, both of whom were Liberals. He helped secure the passage of the Bell Trade Act and the Parity Rights Amendment to the Constitution, allowing American citizens and corporations equal access to Philippine minerals, forests and other natural resources. [Paras & La Vina, p. 100-101] He defended the exercise of President Quirino of emergency powers granted to the President after the end of World War II. When Quirino grew increasingly unpopular, Perez rejected pleas from fellow Members of Congress to challenge the incumbent President for the Liberal Party nomination in the 1953 presidential elections. [Paras & La Vina, p. 100] Perez managed the unsuccessful re-election campaign of Quirino in 1953.

The Liberal Party lost its congressional majority in the House of Representatives in the 1953 general elections. Perez assumed the role of Minority Floor Leader, while he was succeeded as House Speaker by Jose Laurel, Jr. of the Nacionalista Party. Perez died in office in August 1957.

Family

Perez was married to a soprano, Consuelo Salazar, with whom he had three children. His eldest child, Victoria, was the first wife of Jose de Venecia [ cite news| url=http://www.pcij.org/i-report/2007/dynasty-building2.html |title=The Seven Ms of Dynasty Building |author=Sheila Coronel |work=i-Report Online |publisher=Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism |date=2007-03-14 |accessdate=2008-03-06 ] , who would become House Speaker thirty-five years after Perez's death. Perez is the grandfather of Joey de Venecia, a central figure in the 2007-2008 NBN controversy.

Notes

Reference

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