Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez has been elected as the 24th Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Romualdez previously served for three years as House majority leader in the 18th Congress.
The 58-year-old lawmaker was elected as Leyte's 1st district solon from 2007 until 2016 during the 14th, 15th, and 16th Congresses.
Romualdez was then re-elected as Leyte's 1st district solon in 2019 under the 18th Congress and again in the most recent May 2022 polls, under the 19th Congress.
He is the President of the Lakas–Christian Muslims Democrats (CMD) party, one of the oldest and most respected political parties in the country.
As a lawmaker during the Covid-19 pandemic, Romualdez authored several major bills geared toward Covid-19 recovery. Foremost of these are the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act (Bayanihan 1) and the Bayanihan to Recover (Bayanihan 2).
Aside from politics, he has held several executive positions and directorships for banks such as the Philippine Commercial International Bank, the Equitable PCI Bank, and the PCI Leasing Corporation.
As for his educational background, Romualdez earned a Bachelor's degree in government from Cornell University in the United States in 1985.
In 1988, he earned a certificate of special studies in administration and management from Harvard University.
He then graduated with a Law degree from the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Law.
The newly-elected Speaker of the House is married to fellow lawmaker of the 19th Congress: Tingog Party-list Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez.
Romualdez now holds the fourth highest position in the Philippine government, only behind the Senate President, the Vice President, and his cousin: President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., himself.