The unity message of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is alive and well in the House of Representatives as most of the lawmakers expressed renewed hope at the election of Leyte 1st District Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez as Speaker for the 19th Congress.
Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Salceda led the congratulatory messages, saying that the Leyte lawmaker has been the “workhorse” of the 18th Congress, which he described as “the most productive Congress ever in the country’s modern history.”
“We would not have been as productive without his leadership. Through the politics and pressures of public office, it was his silent but resolute work ethic that anchored the House on its goals and mission,” Salceda said in a statement.
“I had the honor of being his campaign manager then, during his first try at the post of leader of this House. I am gladdest of all to see him finally ascend to this well-deserved position. He will be a stable and steady pair of working hands in these troubled economic times,” he added.
Romualdez attempted to clinch the speakership in 2019 but former president Rodrigo Duterte asked him to back down to broker a term-sharing deal instead between Taguig-Pateros Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano and Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco.
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Quezon City 2nd District Rep. Ralph Tulfo and ACT-CIS Party-list Rep. Jocelyn Tulfo also expressed confidence that Romualdez will bring in “a productive and well-oiled legislature” in the 19th Congress.
The Quezon City lawmaker, who seeks to join the Committee on Housing and Urban Development, hoped the new Speaker will help his constituents from Bagong Silangan, Batasan Hills, Commonwealth, Holy Spirit, and Payatas finally own decent homes.
The ACT-CIS Party-list lawmaker, on the other hand, pledged her support to Romualdez.
Among the bills that she wants to push is the creation of the Magna Carta of Seafarers and the establishment of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Disaster Resilience, and a Fuel Reserve System.
BHW Party-list Rep. Angelica Natasha Co also believes that Romualdez’s election as Speaker “is a clear sign of unity in the House of Representatives.”
“Consensus-building and problem-solving at the strategic and tactical levels are part of his default mode,” she said.