Repub ofthe Bliippbare

House of Representatines

Quezon City, Metro Manila

Sixteenth Congress
First Regular Session

Introduced by : Representatives NICANOR M. BRIONES
and RICO B. HERON

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The attached bill was filed during the Fifteenth Congress but it was not
considered in the committee level due to several measures filed ahead of it, as it
is the policy of the committee to give priority to bills in the order they were filed.

This Bill seeks to name the strip of National Highway, connecting Talisay,
Batangas situated at Km. 70 + 340 — Km. passing through the Municipality of
Laurel up to the Municipality of Agoncillo, Batangas situated at Km. 102 + 820
province of Batangas to be known as the “Speaker Jose B. Laurel jr.
Highway”.

Like his illustrious father, he (Jose B. Laurel, Jr) was an intense and
enlightened nationalist according to retired Supreme Court Justice Isagani Cruz,

To the country whose nationalist causes he incessantly advocated and
zealously guarded and to the global legislative system whose processes he had
participated in and to a great measure influenced - - the late Speaker Jose B.
Laurel Jr., was a stalwart patriot and brilliant legislator who, not only passed
laws, but more important, laid down principles and guided public policy to defend
the dignity of the Filipinos and ensure their right to be first in their own country.
His nationalism and patriotism were inspired by his preeminent father, the late
President Jose P. Laurel, who said “No one can love the Philippines better than
Filipinos themselves”.

‘Speaker Laurel held the distinct honor being the only Filipino leader to be
elected three times as Speaker of the Philippines House of the
Representatives.

He was the youngest Member of the First Congress of the
‘Commonwealth of the Philippines when fist elected in1941, authoring in his first
term as Speaker the Retail Trade Nationalization Act of 1955.

In his second term as Speaker, he wrote House Joint Resolution No. 2,
better known as the Magna Carta of Social Justice and Economic
Freedom, which became law on 04 August, 1969.

Because of his sterling qualifications and unblemished record of public
service, Speaker Laurel was appointed by President Corazon C. Aquino in 1986 to
the Constitutional Commission that drafted the 1987 Constitution of the Republic
of the Philippines, and chosen as Chairman of the Committees on Citizenship, Bill
of Rights, Political Rights and Obligations and Human Rights. Speaker Laurel,
with the other Nationalists, co-wrote into the constitution the “Filipino First”
policy.


Page 2

Early in his student days at the University of the Philippines where he
finished his Associate in Arts and obtained the degree of Bachelor of Laws, he
demonstrated his gift of leadership. He was Captain of the University of the
Philippines Debating Team, voted National Inter-University Champion Orator
in1934, and elected President of U.P. Student Council in 1935. He was also a
member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.

He earned his Bachelor of Arts, Master of Laws (meritissimus) and
Doctor of Civil Law (meritissimus) from the University of Sto. Thomas and was
‘also awarded the Degree of Doctor in Derecho at the Universidad Central de
Madrid Spain.

Speaker Laurel participated in World Conferences including the Inter ~
Parliamentary Union (IPU) Conference in Dublin, Ireland in 1950 and Vienna in
1954, and at Conference of Parliamentarians of the World Governments in 1953,
in 1968, he was unanimously elected President of the General Assembly of Asian
Parliamentarians Union (APU) held in Manila in 1968,

In 1960, Speaker Laurel served as Chairman of the Philippines Panel
which negotiated in the Treaty o Amity, Commerce and Navigation between the
Philippines and Japan.

For his distinguished service as a legislator for 31 years, he was the
recipient of three (3) distinguished awards — the First Class Order of Diplomatic
Merit from the Republic of Korea 1968, the First Class Order of the Rising Sun,
from His Majesty Emperor Hirohito, and the First Class Order of Kalantiao from
President Corazon C. Aquino in 1986.

‘As a man, Speaker Laurel was sincere in his promises to help people and
went out of his way to help; he was generous to a fault; he was understanding
and soft- spoken; and above all, he was a faithful friend.

With the death of Speaker Jose P. Laurel Jr. on March 11, 1998 at the
age of 85, our country lost one of the nationalistic, courageous and brilliant
legislators ‘and patriots of our time, For those of us who love him, the loss is
immeasurable.

For the foregoing reasons, it is but proper that the strip of National
Highway, connecting at the Municipality Talisay, Batangas , situated at Km. 79
+340-km passing through the Municipality of Laurel up to Municipality of
Agoncillo , Batangas, situated at Km 102+820, Province of Batangas, shall be
named as the “Speaker Jose B. Laurel, Jr., Highway” to honor and
perpetuate the memory of one of the greatest sons of Batangas.

Your support for this measure is earnestly solicited.

RON
, AGAP Party List



House of Representatines
@nezon City, Metro Maaile

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS

First Regular Session

House Bill to,_228

Introduced by: Representatives NICANOR M. BRIONES
and RICO B. GERON

Be it enacted by the House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:

AN ACT TO HONOR AND PERTUATE THE MEMORY OF THE LATE
SPEAKER JOSE B. LAUREL JR., BY NAMING THE STRIP OF THE
NATIONAL HIGHWAY, CONNECTING THE MUNICIPALITY OF
TALISAY, BATANGAS, SITUATED AT KM 79+340 PASSING
THROUGH THE MUNICIPALITY OF LAUREL UP TO THE
MUNICIPALITY OF AGONCILLO, BATANGAS, SITUATED AT KM
102+820, PROVINCE OF BATANGAS, AS THE “SPEAKER JOSE B.
LAUREL, JR., HIGHWAYS”.

SECTION 1. The strip of the National Highway, connecting at the
Municipality of Talisay, Batangas situated at km 79+340-Km, passing
through the Municipality of Laurel up to the municipality of Agoncillo,
Batangas, situated at Km 102+820 Province of Batangas, shall be known
as the “Speaker Jose B. Laurel, Jr., Highway”.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon its approval.

Approved.