December in the life of the De Venecias

. Rep. Gina de Venecia  talks to survivor Michael Abadia of Palo Leyte, who lost his entire family, his wife and five children when  typhoon Yolanda struck. At the background are Rep. Victoria Noel and another victim, Wilma Castillote who also lost a child.

Rep. Gina de Venecia talks to survivor Michael Abadia of Palo Leyte, who lost his entire family, his wife and five children when typhoon Yolanda struck. At the background are Rep. Victoria Noel and another victim, Wilma Castillote who also lost a child.

December 26 is the birthday of former House Speaker Jose de Venecia, who is now sporting an arm sling after he figured in an accident at his relative’s house in San Francisco, California last month. He stepped on a hose in the garden and fell to the ground fracturing his shoulder and harming his knees. His doctors advised him against undertaking long-haul travels in the next two to three months.

The accident compelled the peripatetic JDV to forgo attendance in the meeting of the standing committee of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties in Ankara, Turkey last Nov. 21 and 22.

JDV co-founded ICAPP, a forum of political parties of various ideologies among countries in Asia-Oceania to promote exchanges and cooperation; enhance understanding, and create an environment for sustained peace and shared prosperity in the region.

ICAPP members include political parties in Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Russian Federation, Turkey, and Vietnam.

In a message sent to the Ankara conference organizers, JDV urged ICAPP members to work on or with their respective governments to undertake measures to cope with Climate Change. citing the “apocalyptic destruction of the Philippines’ Tacloban City and Visayan Islands.

The women lawmakers of the House of Representatives  visit Yolanda victims in Palo, Leyte. From left are Palo Mayor  Remedios Petilla, Representatives Sandy Ocampo,  Gina de Venecia, Marie Anne Pernes, Linabelle Ruth  Villarica, DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman and Rep. Magnolia Antonino-Nadres.

The women lawmakers of the House of Representatives visit Yolanda victims in Palo, Leyte. From left are Palo Mayor Remedios Petilla, Rep. Sandy Ocampo, Rep. Gina de Venecia, Rep. Marie Anne Pernes, Rep. Linabelle Ruth Villarica, DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman and Rep. Magnolia Antonino-Nadres.

JDV said the destruction wrought by typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) “reminds us (that) it is the poorest countries that suffer the most from the greenhouse gases the richest countries let loose heedlessly in the atmosphere.”

Last week, the De Venecias marked the 9th year death anniversary of their daughter KC, who perished in a fire on Dec.16, 2004 in their old house on Magnolia Street in Dasmariñas Village, Makati.

The admirable thing about the De Venecia is how they have channeled life’s adversities into something good. Out of that grief, Gina, who is now a member of the House of Representatives representing the fourth district of Pangasinan, formed Inang Naulila sa Anak (INA) Foundation, a support group for mothers who have lost a child.

In INA, in times of grief, they hold each other’s hand and offer a shoulder to cry on.

Last Thursday, Gina, together with her fellow women lawmakers (she is president of Association of Women Legislators Foundation, Inc. or AWLFI) and three members of INA – Yna Yulo, Titing Brillantes and Ditas Tan visited Palo, Leyte, one of the places devastated by typhoon Yolanda last month.

They met parents who lost several members of their family. “Who could understand them better if not another parent who experienced the same grief?” Gina said.

“In great tragedies like this, equally important is the moral support to the victims. Their great loss will be lightened by their understanding that they are not alone,” she added.

The all-women group didn’t limit their counseling to mothers. They met Michael Abadia, 50, who lost his wife and five children. Gina said Abadia told them that they sought refuge in a two-story shelter together with two other families but when the structure collapsed and got carried by the waters all the 18 who were there were gone.

‘Bakit ako pa ang nakaligtas?’ Abadia lamented, which Gina said is a common sentiment of survivors of a tragedy that claimed lives of their loved ones.

The other women lawmakers who joined the relief mission were Representatives Linabelle Ruth Villarica (4th District, Bulacan), Rosenda Ann Ocampo (6th District, Manila), Marie Anne Pernes (Lone District, Siquijor), Magnolia Rosa Antonino-Nadres (4th District, Nueva Ecija) and Victoria Noel (An-Waray).

Gina said last Thursday’s visit is just the first of a series of missions they will be doing for the victims of Yolanda. They will continue to hold their hands, help them find meaning in all these sufferings and together face the future.

JDV’s global rainbow coalition

JDV at Makassar conference

JDV at Makassar conference

Just because he no longer bangs the gavel in the House of Representatives, it doesn’t mean that former House Speaker Jose de Venecia has stopped doing what he does best: gathering people of different political colors and persuasions for a common cause.

He is still into forming rainbow coalitions. This time, on the global stage.

JDV and a group of statesmen from Asia, Latin America and South Africa formed the Centrist Asia Pacific Democrats International (CAPDI) which is designed, in his own words, “to primarily bridge the classical gap between orthodox political parties and civil society groups working for peace, reform and development in Asia’s emerging democracies.”

CAPDI, he said in a speech during the 2nd General Assembly in the port city of Makassar in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, “is perhaps the only organization in the Asia Pacific which brings together political parties and civil society under one roof in a common house.”

CAPDI traces its beginnings to the alliance with Christian Democrats International. In 1992, then presidential aspirant Fidel Ramos and De Venecia, then Pangasinan representative formed Lakas ng Tao political party. It formed a merger with National Union of Christian Democrats headed by former senator and Foreign Affairs Secretary Raul Manglapus. LAKAS-TAO-NUCD became Ramos’ vehicle to the presidency.

The party underwent several transformations as it tried to include other groups including the Union of Muslim Democrats of the Philippines and Gloria Arroyo’s Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino.

When JDV fell out of Gloria Arroyo’s grace , he left the group. It is now Lakas-CMD headed by Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and Sen. Ramon “ Bong” Revilla. Former President Ramos is also out of the party that he helped found.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, former Indonesia Vice President Kalla, former President Fidel V. Ramos

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, former Indonesia Vice President Kalla, former President Fidel V. Ramos

Both JDV and FVR are now active with CAPDI which gathers international leaders regularly trying to solve the problems of the world. For this year’s conference in Makassar, they focused on Peace and Reconciliation and Climate Change.

Only Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen was the sitting leader who made it to the assembly. Vice President Jejomar Binay was represented by former Sen. Francisco “Kit” Tatad.

Aside from Ramos, other former heads of government who attended the conference were former Prime Minister of Nepal Madhav Kumar Nepal, former President of Seychelles James Mancham, former vice president of Indonesia Jusuf Kalla.

JDV urged CAPDI members who come from different parts the world (Asia, Latin America, Africa) and from different sectors including business, academe, and think-tanks to consider the East Timor-Indonesian and Cambodian models of peace and reconciliation.
“In Cambodia, Prime Minister Hun Sen, our CPDI Chairman Emeritus, skillfully and courageously achieved the impossible: with the support from the late legendary King Norodum Sihanouk, Prime Minister Hun Sen integrated Cambodia’s four warring armies in the now united Cambodian Armed Forces , including the integration of the Khmer Rouge which was responsible for the genocide killings of more than two million Cambodians,” JDV said.

He continued: “Hun Sen also brought together opposing political parties in a Cambodian government of national unity, while Cambodia continues to prosecute those responsible for war crimes in partnership with the U.N. Tribunal.”

“Yes, peace and reconciliation with justice!,” he declared.

JDV brought up the issue of amnesty as a most effective tool in peace-making. “Amnesty – a wide ranging official pardon, which exterminates the offense, approved by the legislature, for the peoples who have been charged with or convicted of political offenses, except for genocide and other horrendous crimes in any peace process, and is most effective tool in peace making, with generally lasting results.”

There were some CAPDI delegate, those who are in decmocratically -developed countries who were not so sold on the idea of amnesty saying that it could just encourage more coup d’etats.

De Venecia said amnesty is an important tool for newly restored democracies in transition to “heal society’s wounds and lay the basis for political, economic and social reforms that will endure.”

JDV knows whereof he speaks because he played a major role in the granting by President Ramos of amnesty to military officers who staged several coups against the President Cory Aquino. One of those included in the amnesty was Sen. Gregorio Honasan.

President Benigno Aquino III also granted amnesty to military officers who rebelled against Gloria Arroyo, the most prominent among them is the newly re-elected senator Antonio Trillanes IV.

JDVB said CAPDI is recommending amnesty for peace and reconciliation in Thailand.