House Speaker Martin Romualdez (center) (Speaker’s office)


Speaker Martin Romualdez refuses to let any "distraction" get the better of the House of Representatives when it comes to its task of legislating solutions to the country’s problems. Romualdez had this to say Thursday, June 8 amid the World Bank's (WB) rosier outlook of the Philippine economy. This positive development coincided with what Majority Leader and Zamboanga City 2nd district Rep. Mannix Dalipe earlier branded as "premature partisanship" and "unnecessary political rumblings". “We will not allow any distraction to derail our efforts [in] finding appropriate and timely solutions to the problems affecting the lives of our people,” said Romualdez, Leyte's 1st district representative. The House leader said the 300-strong lower chamber remains focused on passing the necessary legislations meant to further boost the momentum of the country’s economic growth. "As the House amply demonstrated, we remain committed to implementing policies that will further stimulate economic activity, attract investments, and generate employment opportunities for our fellow Filipinos,” Romualdez, also Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) president, said. According to the WB, the Philippines' gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to grow 6.0 percent this year. This is a few notches above its previous forecasts of 5.4 percent in December and 5.6 percent in April. In the just-concluded first regular session of the 19th Congress, the Romualdez-led House managed to approve on third and final reading 33 out of 42 bills listed as priority measures of the Marcos administration and adopted by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC). In all , the chamber was able to process a total of 9,600 measures composed of 8,490 bills, 1,109 resolutions, and one petition.