SAN CARLOS CITY – An early morning mass at the St. Dominic Church, a floral offering and a short program marked the 110th birthday anniversary of the late Speaker Eugenio Perez Sr., a foremost son of Pangasinan whose natal day last Monday is now traditionally observed as ‘Pangasinan Day’.

A program in his honor at the city auditorium sponsored by San Carlos City officials had the youngest daughter of the late Speaker, Atty. Consuelo Salazar Perez, governor of the Board of Investments, as guest of honor and speaker.

Born in sitio Obong in the barrio of Basista, then a part of the town of San Carlos, thelate Speaker Perez steered the Philippines Assembly of the Commonwealth as its last Speaker and the House of Representatives as its first Speaker.

Republic Act 6271 signed into law by then President Corazon C. Aquino on March 20, 1989 declared November 13 each year as special non-working public holiday in Pangasinan called ‘Pangasinan Day’.

This is apart from Proclamation No. 833 promulgated by then President Fidel Ramos that declared 1996 as the Speaker Eugenio Perez Centennial Year.

In 1928, the young Perez was prodded to run for Congress and won against incumbent congressman from Dagupan City. His political career was unstoppable from that point.

Among his best legacies to the nation was being the co-founder of the Liberal Party, long with President Manuel Roxas, and author of major pieces of legislation such as those that created the Central Bank of the Philippines, National Power Corporation that paved the way for the industrialization of the country from the ruins of World War II, the Development Bank of the Philippines and the National Irrigation Administration.

He was also the author of the law that created the former municipality of Dagupan into a city; and the law that created the San Carlos General Hospital, now Pangasinan Provincial Hospital. (PNA)