A respected veteran congressman has described Speaker Martin Romualdez one of the most hardworking leaders the House of Representatives has ever seen.

Cavite 4th district Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. (left) and House Speaker Martin Romualdez (Facebook, Speaker's office)

Cavite 4th district Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. extolled Romualdez--arguably President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s top ally in the legislature, after the House garnered a net satisfaction rating of +56 percent in the Social Weather Stations fourth quarter 2022 survey.

“If our leaders are busy, we are all busy. We take after the example of our beloved Speaker. We move at his pace. This is the reason the House of Representatives has been very productive in passing bills and resolutions, owing in no small part to its leaders,” Barzaga said in a statement Sunday, April 9.

Barzaga, who has seen numerous Speakers in his career as a legislator, said that Romualdez is visibly “one of the most productive, diligent and industrious leaders the lower chamber has ever seen".

The SWS survey conducted from Dec. 10 to 14 , 2022. Some 63 percent of the respondents expressed satisfaction with the work of the lower chamber, while only 7 percent were dissatisfied.

“I am very glad that the Filipino people recognize our hard work here in the House of Representatives. But let me clarify that we do not work to get recognition. We work because it is our sworn duty and mandate,” noted the lawyer-lawmaker from Cavite.

“And also, this is due to the goals and objectives set by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during his first State of the Nation Address (SONA). I think we are almost done with his legislative priorities,” he added.

Before the House began its summer recess last March 23, the chamber reported that it had already 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.

Of the 23, 19 of the measures were accomplished by the House as of Dec. 15, 2022.

“I am almost certain that the House of Representatives will hit the ground running in passing these remaining measures of the LEDAC, once sessions resume in May. And during the break, the Speaker has even authorized committees to conduct hearings. So we can still work during recess,” Barzaga said.