Eugenio Pérez | |
---|---|
8th Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines | |
In office May 25, 1946 – December 30, 1953 |
|
President |
Sergio Osmeña (1946) Manuel Roxas (1946-1948) Elpidio Quirino (1948-1953) |
Preceded by | Jose Zulueta |
Succeeded by | Jose Laurel, Jr. |
Member of the Philippine House of Representatives from Pangasinan's 2nd District | |
In office 1928 – August 4, 1957 |
|
Preceded by | Isidoro Siapno |
Succeeded by | Angel B. Fernández |
Personal details | |
Born |
Eugenio Padlan Pérez November 13, 1896 San Carlos, Pangasinan, Captaincy General of the Philippines |
Died | August 4, 1957 San Carlos, Pangasinan, Philippines |
(aged 60)
Nationality | Filipino |
Political party |
Nacionalista Party (until 1946) Liberal Party (since 1946) |
Alma mater | University of the Philippines |
Occupation | lawyer |
Eugenio Padlan Pérez (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.
Pérez 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.
Pérez 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. Pérez would be for eight consecutive terms.
In 1946, Pérez 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.
Pérez 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. 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, Pérez rejected pleas from fellow Members of Congress to challenge the incumbent President for the Liberal Party nomination in the 1953 presidential elections. Perez managed the unsuccessful re-election campaign of Quirino in 1953.