Lord Allan Jay Quinto Velasco 

(born November 9, 1977) is a Filipino politician and lawyer

serving as the Speaker of the House of Representatives since October 12, 2020.[3] He is
concurrently serving as the Representative of Marinduque's lone district since 2016, and
previously from 2010 to 2013.[4] He previously served as the Marinduque chapter president of
the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, and Marinduque provincial administrator under
Governor Jose Antonio Carrion.
Velasco was born on November 9, 1977.[5] His father is lawyer Presbitero Velasco Jr., who
served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court from 2006 to 2018, and has been
governor of their home province Marinduque since 2019.[6][7] His mother, Lorna Quinto Velasco,
originally a nurse, ventured into politics: first as the Representative of Ang Mata'y Aalagaan
(AMA or MATA) party-list from 2013 to 2016, and from 2016 onwards as mayor of Torrijos,
Marinduque.[6][8][9] His sister, Tricia Nicole Velasco-Catera, is also a lawyer. Velasco-Catera was
their father's judicial staff head in the Supreme Court, and their mother's chief of staff in the
House. She was AMA/MATA party-list's representative from 2016 to 2019.[8][10][11]
Velasco was educated in Manila, earning his Bachelor of Science in business management
from De La Salle University, and his Bachelor of Laws from the University of Santo Tomas.[5]
[6]
 He was admitted to the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) in 2005.[12]
Velasco married Rowena "Wen" Amara on September 21, 2012. They have five children:
Sophia, Bella, Ramon, Sara, and Lord Jose Maria. [5][12] Wen chairs the Pilipinong May Puso
Foundation, a charity launched in 2016 in honor of Soledad Duterte, President Rodrigo
Duterte's late mother.[12][13] Several high-profile personalities attended the baptism of their
daughter Sara in September 2019: President Duterte, businessman Ramon Ang, senators Bong
Go and Sonny Angara, former senator Bongbong Marcos, Secretary of Public Works and
Highways Mark Villar, and Quezon City mayor Joy Belmonte.[13]

Friendship with the Dutertes[edit]

The Velascos grew close to Rodrigo Duterte when they supported his presidential campaign.
[14]
 On Christmas of 2016, the Velascos celebrated at the Duterte family's house in Davao City.
[15]
 The Velasco couple also organized celebrations for the President's birthday in 2017 and
2018.[14][16] The President and his daughter, Davao City mayor Sara Duterte, were also guests at
Velasco's 2018 birthday party.[16] Velasco considers Sara Duterte his "big bike riding buddy".[13] In
the 2019 election, the President endorsed the Velasco family, who were running for various
offices in Marinduque.[16]

Political career[edit]
Provincial Administrator of Marinduque (2008–2009)[edit]
Early in his law career, he served as the chapter president of the IBP in Marinduque. [6][12][17] In
January 2008, he was appointed as the provincial administrator of Marinduque by
Governor Jose Antonio Carrion.[18] He also headed the Provincial Tourism Council where he
focused on "sports adventure and community-based tourism".[6] He resigned as provincial
administrator on December 1, 2009 to file his candidacy for the province's lone House seat.[19]

House of Representatives (2010–present)[edit]

In the 2010 elections, running under Lakas–Kampi, Velasco defeated Edmundo Reyes, the son
of then-incumbent representative Carmencita Reyes.[6][12][20] Velasco became the first elected
government official in his family.[8]
Velasco was defeated in his bid for re-election in 2013 by Regina Ongsiako Reyes, daughter of
incumbent Governor Carmencita Reyes, but Velasco disputed Reyes' victory by noting that
Reyes was a United States citizen during the election and was thus ineligible to hold the office.
Both the Supreme Court and the COMELEC upheld Velasco's protest. Despite this, House
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte maintained that a decision to remove Reyes from her seat is up to
the House Electoral Tribunal, where Velasco's case to remove her was still pending. Velasco
was later proclaimed as the legitimate representative of Marinduque's lone district and assumed
office on February 1, 2016.
He is the incumbent representative of the Lone District of Marinduque and chairman of the
House Committee on Energy. He is also the chairman of the Oversight Committee on Solid
Waste Management Act and co-chairman of the Joint Congressional Power Commission.