Arnulfo Palma Fuentebella (October 29, 1945 – September 9, 2020) was the
Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives
The speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines (), more popularly known as the House speaker, is the presiding officer and the highest-ranking official of the lower house of Congress of the Philippines, Congress, the House of R ...
from 2000 to 2001. He was born in Camarines Sur to former Governor Felix Fuentebella. He graduated in the University of the Philippines and later became a banker. He later represented of the
3rd (now
4th) district of
Camarines Sur
Camarines Sur (; ), officially the Province of Camarines Sur (Central Bikol language, Bikol: ''Probinsya kan Habagatan na Camarines''; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Bicol Region on Luzon. Its ca ...
, more popularly known as the
Partido district. He became the speaker for a year.
Early life and education
Arnulfo "Noli" Fuentebella was born on October 29, 1945, in
Camarines Sur
Camarines Sur (; ), officially the Province of Camarines Sur (Central Bikol language, Bikol: ''Probinsya kan Habagatan na Camarines''; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Bicol Region on Luzon. Its ca ...
to former Representative and Governor Felix A. Fuentebella and Rita Palma. He was educated in his home province and spent most of his life in scouting until he reached Life Scout. At the age of 15, Fuentebella was a Philippine delegate to the 50th anniversary of the
Boy Scouts of America
Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...
in 1960. He is also a member of
Alpha Phi Omega
Alpha Phi Omega (), commonly known as APO, but also A-Phi-O and A-Phi-Q, is a national Mixed-sex education, coeducational Service fraternities and sororities, service Fraternities and sororities, fraternity. It is the largest College fraterniti ...
, a fraternity with deep roots in scouting. He studied law at the
University of the Philippines
The University of the Philippines (UP; ) is a Higher education in the Philippines#State universities and colleges, state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by List of Philippine laws, Re ...
in 1970 and graduated being the 7th in his class and passed the Bar Exams in 1971.
Career
After he passed the Bar Exams, Fuentebella pursued a career in law and banking. But after President
Ferdinand E. Marcos imposed martial rule and called for elections to the
Interim Batasang Pambansa
The Interim Batasang Pambansa ( English: Interim National Assembly) was the legislature of the Republic of the Philippines from its inauguration on June 12, 1978, to June 5, 1984. It served as a transitional legislative body mandated by the 1 ...
(IBP), Fuentebella was chosen by the President to run in Congress to represent Partido. He subsequently won the elections and served as an
assemblyman in the IBP from 1978 to 1984. However, he lost his bid for a seat in the 1984 Regular Batasang Pambansa and used the hiatus to practice law in
New York, where he was admitted to the State Bar. Then the
EDSA Revolution happened and President Marcos fled into exile. As the Fuentebellas had been identified with the Marcoses, he opted to sit out the
Cory Aquino
María Corazón "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (; January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Filipino politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines and the first woman president in the country, from 1986 to 1992. She was ...
years.
In 1992, political allies asked Fuentebella to run again in Congress. He won three consecutive terms as Congressman (1992–2001).
Speakership
After then Speaker
Manuel Villar, Jr. passed President
Joseph Estrada
Joseph Ejercito Estrada (; born Jose Marcelo Ejercito; April 19, 1937), also known by the nickname Erap, is a Filipino politician and former actor, who served as the 13th president of the Philippines from 1998 until his resignation in 2001. ...
's Articles of
Impeachment
Impeachment is a process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements.
In Eur ...
to the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
, Fuentebella was elected Speaker after Estrada's allies in the
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...
motioned to make all positions in the House vacant; Fuentebella won the nomination.
On January 20, 2001, during the
Second EDSA Revolution
The Second EDSA Revolution (), also known as the Second People Power Revolution, EDSA 2001, or EDSA II (pronounced ''EDSA Two'' or ''EDSA Dos'', the Spanish word for "two"), was a political protest from January 17–20, 2001 which peacefully ...
, Estrada left the
Malacañan Palace and
Vice President
A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal-Arroyo (; born April 5, 1947), often referred to as PGMA or GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician who served as the 14th president of the Philippines from Presidency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, 2001 to 2010 ...
was sworn to the presidency at the
EDSA Shrine
The National Shrine of Mary, Queen of Peace, also known as Mary, Queen of Peace Shrine, Our Lady of Peace Quasi-Parish and commonly known as the EDSA Shrine, is a small church building, church of the Archdiocese of Manila located at the inte ...
by Chief Justice
Hilario Davide, Jr. Accompanying Davide were the chairs of the two houses of Congress, Senate President
Aquilino Pimentel, Jr. and Speaker Fuentebella. Four days later, on January 24, the Arroyo allies mustered enough votes to unseat Fuentebella, replacing him with
Quezon City
Quezon City (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...
representative
Feliciano Belmonte.
Post-speakership
When Fuentebella had served the maximum three consecutive terms as a congressman, his son
Felix William/Wimpy took over for one term (2001–2004). In the interim, Fuentebella took up post-graduate courses at the Kennedy School of Governance of
Harvard University
Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
. He ran again for Congress and won three more consecutive terms (2004–2013). He was instrumental in the proposed creation of a new province to be called
Nueva Camarines, which will be composed of the fourth and fifth congressional Districts of
Camarines Sur
Camarines Sur (; ), officially the Province of Camarines Sur (Central Bikol language, Bikol: ''Probinsya kan Habagatan na Camarines''; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Bicol Region on Luzon. Its ca ...
.
In the
14th Congress of the Philippines, Fuentebella was elected
for
Luzon
Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...
.
In May 2016, Fuentebella won the election as Camarines Sur fourth district representative.
Death
He died on September 9, 2020. His son said he succumbed to heart failure after battling kidney disease for almost two years. His death received condolences from the
Malacañang Palace
Malacañang Palace (, ), officially known as Malacañán Palace, is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the Philippines. It is located in the Manila district of San Miguel, Manila, San Miguel, along Jose Laurel S ...
, with presidential spokesperson Harry Roque stating, “The time and effort he gave to improve the condition of his beloved district will always be remembered by his constituents".
Legacy
The Speaker Arnulfo ‘Noli’ Fuentebella Highway, which runs from
Goa to
Siruma was named in his honor in 2024.
External links
Congress Profile
References
* Building Institutions: The Fuentebella Legacy by Coylee Gamboa
* Sunday Inquirer Magazine (Pushing for Nueva Camarines: A New Beginning)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fuentebella, Arnulfo
1945 births
2020 deaths
20th-century Filipino lawyers
Speakers of the House of Representatives of the Philippines
Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Camarines Sur
University of the Philippines alumni
Nationalist People's Coalition politicians
Politicians from Pampanga
Arnulfo
Minority leaders of the House of Representatives of the Philippines
Deputy speakers of the House of Representatives of the Philippines
Members of the Batasang Pambansa