House Speaker Martin Romualdez (Speaker’s office)


A "go-getter" Speaker of the House of Representatives. That's how Cavite 4th district Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. described House Speaker Martin Romualdez, who according to the results of the latest Pulse Asia survey on top Philippine officials garnered an approval rating of +51 percent. "This is another positive news for the House under the result-oriented leadership of Speaker Romualdez. It means that the work we do in the House of Representatives is resonating with the people," Barzaga, chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources, said in a statement on Thursday afternoon, April 13. "It's great to know that the public appreciates our work. That's what happens when your leader is a go-getter like Speaker Martin; it makes all the difference," he added. Barzaga said the Pulse Asia survey results complement the outcome of the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) public satisfaction survey. The SWS poll results showed that the House of Representatives led the list of government agencies that obtained high satisfaction ratings, garnering a score of +53 percent or within the purview of "very good". The survey covered the fourth quarter of 2022. Barzaga said the high satisfaction ratings of the House and the Speaker should inspire lawmakers to step it up some more during the remainder of the 19th Congress. Romualdez, Leyte's 1st district representative, is arguably President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s top ally in the legislature and his most trusted lieutenant overall. Before the Lenten season break of the House of Representatives last month, the chamber reported that it had approved on third and final reading 23 of 31 bills identified by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) as priority measures of the Marcos administration. Two of these have already been signed into law by President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.: the SIM Registration Act and the bill postponing the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections to October this year. One LEDAC bill, the Agrarian Reform Debts Condonation, is now up for approval by the bicameral conference committee. The 20 other LEDAC-endorsed bills that have hurdled the House are as follows: Magna Carta of Seafarers, Negros Island Region, E-Governance Act / E-Government Act, Virology, Institute of the Philippines, Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation Act, National Disease Prevention Management Authority or Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Medical Reserve Corps, Philippine Passport Act; Internet Transaction Act / E-Commerce Law, Waste-to-Energy Bill, Free Legal Assistance for Police and Soldiers, Apprenticeship Act, Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) Law, Magna Carta of Barangay Health Workers, Valuation Reform, Eastern Visayas Development Authority, Leyte Ecological Industrial Zone Government Financial Institutions Unified Initiatives to Distressed Enterprises for Economic Recovery, National Citizens Service Training Program, and Rightsizing the National Government.