JdV-s other legacies
The late former House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. was widely known for his national leadership and legislative accomplishments. But in his native Dagupan, his legacy flows just as deeply through its rivers, fishponds, and coastal communities.
During a eulogy delivered at the Dagupan City Plaza on February 14, Dr. Westly Rosario, former center chief of the National Integrated Fisheries Technology and Development Center (NIFTDC) in Bonuan Binloc, underscored how De Venecia transformed not only lives but also the city’s most prized agricultural product—bangus, or milkfish.
At a time when Dagupan’s bangus growers were importing fry from Indonesia at enormous cost, he backed the establishment of a national bangus hatchery program. The initiative enabled the local production of fry, significantly reducing dependence on imports and lowering costs for fisherfolk.
While national demand for bangus fry still exceeds supply, the program laid the foundation for industry growth. Through technology transfer initiatives championed by Dr. Rosario and supported by De Venecia, entrepreneurs and students were trained in bangus breeding, empowering them to establish their own hatcheries and augment supply nationwide.
Yet De Venecia’s vision extended far beyond local sufficiency. He wanted Dagupan bangus to compete in the global market so that ordinary growers could earn more from their labor.
Through his ties with parliamentary counterparts in South Korea, he facilitated Korean government assistance that led to the establishment of the Philippines-Korea Seafood Processing Plant in Bonuan Binloc. Built to meet international standards—with facilities for ice-making and blast freezing—the plant positioned Dagupan’s bangus for global acceptance.
De Venecia also saw opportunity where others saw risk. At a time when vannamei or white shrimp was banned in the Philippines over fears of disease affecting native species, he sent Dr. Rosario to Indonesia to study large-scale vannamei farming.
The exposure to advanced aquaculture practices helped pave the way for legislative reforms that eventually allowed vannamei culture in the country. Today, white shrimp farming has become a significant and thriving subsector of Philippine aquaculture.
His support extended to education and innovation. Funding was secured for the establishment of the Asian Fisheries Academy, envisioned as a training ground for students from across the Philippines and abroad to learn modern aquaculture techniques adaptable to their own communities.
Even after stepping down as Speaker, De Venecia’s connection to the fisheries sector endured. Invited back to NIFTDC to leave his footprints—a symbolic tribute—he was recognized as one of the pillars of the country’s fisheries and aquaculture industry.
In remembering Jose de Venecia Jr., it is fitting to celebrate not only the statesman, but also the champion of bangus growers, fisherfolk, and aquaculture innovators. His legacy is not confined to halls of Congress; it lives on in every hatchery pond, processing facility, and export shipment that carries Dagupan’s pride to the world.#