Candidates for House speakership

PERSONAL INFORMATION

JOSE DE VENECIA JR.

PABLO GARCIA, SR.

EDUCATION

CAREER

(Both de Venecia and Garcia had been congressmen in the past.)

• Representative, 4th District of Pangasinan (1987-1998; 2001-2007)
• Representative, 2nd District of Pangasinan (1969-1972)

20 years in the government as a congressman

• consultant, Provincial Capitol, Cebu (2004-2007)
• member, Constitutional Commission (2005)
• governor, Cebu (1995-2004)
• Representative, 3rd District of Cebu (1987-1995)
• vice governor, Cebu (1969-1971)
• provincial board member, Cebu (1968-1969)
• mediation attorney, Department of Justice (1955)
• councilor, Dumanjug, Cebu (1951-1955)

27 years in the government, mostly holding elective positions (the longest of which was a nine-year stint as Cebu governor)

POLITICAL CLOUT

• House Speaker from 1992-1998 and 2001-2007 (12 years)
• Pangasinan congressman for six non-consecutive terms (20 years)

• three-term (9 years) governor of Cebu, the #1 vote-rich province in the country
• went up the political ladder from councilor to provincial board member, vice governor and governor

• Eugenio Perez, former Congressman (1928-1941; 1944-1957) - father-in-law
• Ernesto Maceda, former senator (1969-1972, 1987-1995) - brother-in-law

• Gwendolyn Garcia-Codilla, Cebu governor (2004-2010) - daughter
• Pablo John Garcia, 3rd District of Cebu Representative (2007-2010) - son
• Winston Garcia, GSIS President and CEO (appointed by President Arroyo in 2001) - son
• former Cebu City Mayor Alvin Garcia, nephew
• 1971 Constitutional Convention delegate Jesus Garcia, Sr., brother

NOTE: The Garcias of Cebu are related by affinity to the Codillas of Leyte through the marriage of Gwendolyn Garcia to former Ormoc Councilor Eufrocino Codilla, Jr..

• ran for President in 1998 with Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as his running mate; he lost to Joseph Estrada, but Arroyo won as Vice President
• supported President Arroyo throughout the Hello Garci controversy in 2005
• his party delivered nearly half of the House votes that trashed the Arroyo impeachment complaints in 2005 and 2006
• supportive of President Arroyo's plans for charter change; staunch charter change advocate
• heads the ruling party, LAKAS-CMD (also an administration party)

• The Garcias delivered the Cebu votes for President Arroyo in the 2004 elections. She garnered close to a million votes in the province, with a lead of more than 800,000 votes over closest rival Fernando Poe Jr..
• Garcia is a member of KAMPI, a political party also aligned with the administration and has President Arroyo as a co-founder.