Majority Floor Leader and Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez took his oath as reelected solon even as Vice President-elect Sara Duterte stood witness to it on Wednesday morning, June 15.
Sworn in alongside Leyte Rep. Romualdez were Tingog Party-list Rep. Yedda Romualdez, Jude Acidre; and three-term Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez. The three took their oath before Court of Appeals (CA) Associate Justice Bautista Corpin Jr.
The three Romualdezes were reelected to their respective posts while Acidre won his first stint in the lower chamber.
Leyte Rep. Romualdez ran unopposed during the May 9 elections. He took his oath before Barangay 109-A Chairman Rodolfo Padillo. Closelly watching the event was Duterte.
The Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) party president is also the frontrunner for the House Speakership in the upcoming 19th Congress following numerous endorsements from fellow solons in the House. He even earned an endorsement from President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
"First of all, congratulations to each and everyone for a very successful election. It is an honor to be here with all of you in this momentous occasion, as I take my oath as one of the representatives of Tingog Party-list for the coming Congress. Allow me to also express my deepest and utmost gratitude to all of you. As you all know, Tingog Party-list has garnered a total of 886,959 votes in the recent election, making it the Top 3 Party-list nationwide! We will not be here today if not for your support and efforts. All that hard work has definitely paid off," Tingog Rep. Romualdez said.
"We have achieved so much in our first term in Congress, and now, we have been given another chance to serve the Filipino people. I am fully confident that through our continued collaborative efforts, we can achieve long-lasting progress for the betterment of our region and our entire country," she added.