All is well? NUP, NPC reiterate backing of Marcos, Romualdez

House Speaker Martin Romualdez (left) and President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. (Speaker's office)

The reaffirmation of political parties' support for House Speaker Martin Romualdez and President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. continues amid the fallout from Pampanga 2nd district Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's removal as senior deputy speaker. On Friday morning, May 19, it was the turn of the National Unity Party (NUP) and Nationalist People's Coaltion (NPC) to impart to the public that the political coalition formed by Marcos following his big election victory in May 2022 was as strong as ever. The two are among the more established political parties in the country, with significant presence in the legislature. "The [NUP] would like take this opportunity to reiterate our commitment to the supermajority coalition formed by Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez in the House of Representatives to help President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., achieve his vision of peace and prosperity for the nation," the group said in a statement. Undersigned was Ronaldo Puno, NUP chairman. "We are witness on how Speaker Romualdez has steered the House in legislating key reform measures included in the 8-Point Socio-Economic Agenda of the Marcos administration," it said. The NUP further said that it vowed "to continue working in close partnership with Speaker Romualdez, whose leadership and work ethic moved the legislative mill round the clock, producing an unprecedented number of priority bills passed on third and final reading in less than a year in office." Meanwhile, the NPC said in a separate statement that it "recognize[s] the successes that the Marcos administration has accomplished in barely a year in office. We attribute these successes in huge part to Speaker Martin Romualdez, who has worked closely with the President in realizing the administration’s 8-Point Socio-Economic Agenda." "The wheels of government are efficiently turning in the direction of pandemic recovery and economic progress. This is due to the efforts of President Marcos Jr. to get more investments that are creating more jobs and uplifting the lives of Filipinos," the NPC said. "We continue and remain committed to be part of Speaker Romualdez’s supermajority coalition in the House of Representatives to better the Philippines’ standing on poverty alleviation and job generation," added the NPC statement, which was undersigned by Deputy Speaker and Ilocos Sur 2nd district Rep. Kristine Singson-Meehan and Rizal 1st district Rep. Jack Duavit.
On Thursday, the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) and the Nacionalista Party (NP) expressed similar messages of support for Marcos and Romualdez. The NUP and NPC members also extended their congratulations to Pampanga 3rd district Rep. Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr. for being named as the new House senior deputy speaker, replacing Arroyo. "We in are optimistic that SDS Gonzales is the best person to help Speaker Romualdez in galvanizing the multi-partisan support for the country’s recovery from the pandemic and overall economic growth and development," the NPC said. Gonzales is a member of PDP-Laban, the party led by former president Rodrigo Duterte. The NUP was the first political party to endorse Romualdez for the position of Speaker following last year's polls. Other parties and personalities--including Arroyo herself--followed suit. Arroyo, a former Philippine president who commands respect in the House, is the chairperson emeritus of Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD), the biggest party in the lower chamber. Romualdez, Marcos' cousin, sits as party president. On Friday, Vice President Sara Duterte announced her resignation from Lakas-CMD.