Arnulfo Fuentebella

Arnulfo Palma Fuentebella (October 29, 1945 – September 9, 2020) was the Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives from 2000 to 2001. He was also a representative of the 3rd (now 4th) district of Camarines Sur, more popularly known as the Partido district.

In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Palma and the surname or paternal family name is Fuentebella.

The Honorable
Arnulfo Fuentebella
19th Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives
In office
November 13, 2000 – January 24, 2001
Appointed byHouse of Representatives
PresidentJoseph Estrada (2000–2001)
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (2001)
Preceded byManuel Villar, Jr.
Succeeded byFeliciano Belmonte Jr.
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines for Luzon
In office
July 23, 2007 – June 30, 2013
Member of the Philippine House of Representatives from Camarines Sur
In office
June 30, 2016 – June 30, 2019
Preceded byFelix William "Wimpy" B. Fuentebella
Succeeded byArnulf Bryan Fuentebella
Constituency4th District
In office
June 30, 2010 – June 30, 2013
Preceded byFelix Alfelor, Jr.
Succeeded byFelix William "Wimpy" B. Fuentebella
Constituency4th District
In office
June 30, 2004 – June 30, 2010
Preceded byFelix William "Wimpy" B. Fuentebella
Succeeded byLuis Villafuerte
Constituency3rd District
In office
June 30, 1992 – June 30, 2001
Preceded byEduardo P. Pilapil
Succeeded byFelix William "Wimpy" B. Fuentebella
Constituency3rd District
Mambabatas Pambansa (Assemblyman) from Region V
In office
June 12, 1978 – June 5, 1984
Personal details
Born
Arnulfo Palma Fuentebella

(1945-10-29)October 29, 1945
Goa, Camarines Sur, Commonwealth of the Philippines
DiedSeptember 9, 2020(2020-09-09) (aged 74)
Tigaon, Camarines Sur, Philippines
Political partyNPC (1992–2020)
Other political
affiliations		KBL (1978–1992)
SpouseEvelyn Buquid Fuentebella
Children6, including Felix and Arnulf
Residence(s)Abo, Tigaon, Camarines Sur (provincial)
Quezon City (Metro Manila)
Alma materUniversity of the Philippines Diliman (LL.B)
ProfessionLawyer

Early life and education

Arnulfo "Noli" Fuentebella was born on October 29, 1945, in Camarines Sur 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 in 1960. He is also a member of Alpha Phi Omega, a fraternity with deep roots in scouting. He studied law at the University of the Philippines 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 (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 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's Articles of Impeachment to the Senate, Fuentebella was elected Speaker after Estrada's allies in the House of Representatives motioned to make all positions in the House vacant; Fuentebella won the nomination.

On January 20, 2001, during the Second EDSA Revolution, Estrada left the Malacañan Palace and Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was sworn to the presidency at the EDSA Shrine 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 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. 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.

In the 14th Congress of the Philippines, Fuentebella was elected Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines for Luzon.

In 2015, a complaint for misappropriation of public funds was lodged against Fuentebella and his wife before the Ombudsman.[1][2]

In May 2016, Fuentebella won the election as Camarines Sur fourth district representative by just 740 votes. His opponent, singer Imelda Papin filed an electoral protest asking for a recount.[3][4]

Death

He died on September 9, 2020. His son said he succumbed to heart failure after battling kidney disease for almost two years.[5]

References
  1. Cayabyab, Marc Jayson (October 21, 2015). "Ex-Speaker Fuentebella, wife face plunder complaint". Inquirer. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  2. Ramirez, Juan (October 22, 2015). "Fuentebella couple accused of fund misuse before Ombudsman". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  3. Cayabyab, Marc Jayson (May 23, 2016). "Imelda Papin files poll protest vs Fuentebella". Inquirer. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  4. "Imelda Papin vows to fight, files electoral protest". The Standard. May 25, 2016. Archived from the original on May 28, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  5. "Ex-House Speaker Fuentebella passes away". ABS-CBN News. September 9, 2020. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  • Building Institutions: The Fuentebella Legacy by Coylee Gamboa
  • Sunday Inquirer Magazine (Pushing for Nueva Camarines: A New Beginning)
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