The emergence of a new supermajority in the House of Representatives bodes well for the fulfillment of presumptive president Bongbong Marcos's campaign promises, the most popular of which have to do with lowering the costs of electricity and the Filipinos' staple food, rice.
Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte had this to say over the weekend even as stressed his belief that the House under the potential speakership of Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez would be able to deliver on Marcos's would-be legislative agenda.
"The House under Rep. Martin's leadership can--and will--deliver broad and speedy legislative support for BBM's central campaign promise to create jobs, pull down commodity prices plus electricity and fuel rates, and accelerate infrastructure spending," said Villafuerte, a former deputy speaker.
"In my case, for instance, when it comes to specifics, I support new legislation to flesh out BBM's commitment to slash electricity rates and pull down the retail cost of rice to at least P30 per kilo," noted the Bicolano.
Villafuerte had earlier said that up to 278 congressmen or 95 percent of House members in the upcoming 19th Congress have expressed their backing of a Romualdez speakership. He said this will give rise to a new supermajority, perhaps the biggest one that the chamber has ever seen.
During the campaign period, the crowds that gathered for the UniTeam rallies always cheered loudly whenever Marcos mentioned his intention of lowering electricity rates and the retail price of rice.
Marcos, who si scheduled to be sworn in as president on June 30, 2022, has already acknowledged the impeding speakership of Romualdez in the 19th Congress. The Leyte solon is the current majority leader in the outgoing 18th Congress.
"Given his sterling record as a hard worker and consensus-builder as majority leader in the outgoing Congress, I am confident Rep. Martin can adeptly shepherd new legislation in the House in support of BBM's political and socio-economic agenda...to free our country from the over two-year pandemic and sustain our strong recovery from the global economic fallout from Covid-19 and Russia's invasion of Ukraine," Villafuerte said.
Villafuerte is the vice president for political affairs of the (NUP), which earlier this month became the first political party to endorse Romualdez for speaker.