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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Romualdez's speakership qualifications outweigh Marcos family ties--Sandro

Romualdez's speakership qualifications outweigh Marcos family ties--Sandro

Published Jul 25, 2022 01:23 pm

Ilocos Norte 1st district Rep. Sandro Marcos thinks that the qualifications of newly-elected House Speaker Rep. Martin Romualdez make him worthy of the position, and not his relationship to the Marcos family.

Ilocos Norte 1st district Rep. Sandro Marcos (second from right) (Facebook)

Romualdez's paternal aunt is Imelda Marcos, the mother of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., Senator Imee Marcos, and grandmother of Rep. Marcos.

This makes Romualdez–now the fourth highest government official–the cousin of the President and a sitting senator; he is also an uncle to Rep. Marcos.

"Much has been said regarding the familial relations of Representative Romualdez to the President but for reasons I have stated prior, one can truly ascertain that his qualifications are beyond sufficient to lead us to great heights," Rep. Marcos said in a speech as he nominated Romualdez as the 24th Speaker of the House at the Batasang Pambansa Complex on Monday, July 25.

"To say that he has not worked his way up through various positions in Congress would be a grave injustice to the effort he has put into his role throughout his 12 years as a legislator," he said.

Romualdez has represented Leyte's 1st district from 2007 to 2016 during the 14th, 15th, 16th Congresses, then again in 2019 under the 18th, and the newly-minted 19th Congress.

Rep. Marcos described his uncle as a consensus builder for his achievements in the legislative branch of government.

"He values everyone’s opinion and exudes the charm to get everyone to voluntarily and conscientiously work together towards a common goal. Because of this positive trait, he, along with other members of the 18th Congress, were able to usher with expediency the two critical Bayanihan bills in the House of Representatives during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, just when the country needed these laws the most," Rep. Marcos said.

"His professional experience as a lawyer and banking executive allow him to take an analytical and corporate approach to economic issues that require suitable legislation. With him as the House Majority Leader, Congress was able to pass laws supportive of economic growth such as the CREATE Law, as well as measures amending the Public Service Act and the Foreign Investments Act of 1991. Such accomplishments have shown that he is able to strike a healthy equilibrium between economic interests and public welfare," the neophyte solon said.

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SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE 19th Congress Martin Romualdez sona Sandro Marcos
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