House Speaker Martin Romualdez (Speaker’s office)

Ranking congressmen continued to speak positively of Speaker Martin Romualdez's ability to lead the House of Representatives on Friday, June 9 amid what they described as "political noise and distractions". Camiguin lone district Rep. Jurdin Jesus Romualdo said in a statement that Romualdez has been “laser-focused” in ensuring the passage of priority legislation identified by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. “The only politics Speaker Romualdez engages in is the politics of completion, the accomplishment of the legislative goals the Marcos administration set, which he excellently executes by faithfully fulfilling his mandate both as an ordinary lawmaker and as a great leader of the House of Representatives,” said Romualdo, a vice chairman of the Committee on Information and Communications Technology. “He was an effective majority leader in the 18th Congress, when he served the Filipino people by being part of the House leadership that passed laws needed to address the adverse effects of the pandemic. This experience made him a much greater leader now that he is Speaker,” he added of Romualdez. In the just-concluded first regular session of the 19th Congress, the House managed to approve on third and final reading 33 out of the 42 priority measures of the Marcos administration as determined by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC). Romualdez, Leyte's 1st district representative, had earlier vowed to pass all 42 measures by the end of the year. "He is not easily derailed by political distraction," said the Camiguin solon. Meanwhile, Committee on Appropriations Chairman and Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co expressed confidence that the House under Romualdez will maintain its "remarkable synergy" with the executive branch into the second regular session and for the rest of the 19th Congress. "We were elected to uplift the lives of our constituents and so far, the House has followed President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s Agenda for Peace and Prosperity to a tee. The House members who are true to this cause won't let any political noise derail the remarkable synergy that the legislature and executive currently have," Co said in a separate statement. Co noted that Romualdez and the rest of the 300-strong lower chamber know that the work of the administration in giving Filipinos a more comfortable life is far from over. "With President Marcos about to deliver his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) next month, I expect the Speaker to already know whether or not more priority measures will be announced by the Chief Executive. I would even bet the Speaker is already paving the way for meaningful discussions on these measures, even during this congressional break," said the Bicolano. He said the list of measures under LEDAC was carefully curated by President Marcos himself with the help of lawmakers like Speaker Romualdez. "This cooperation, unity, and synergy between our two of our top leaders is the best asset of this current administration. No question about it," Co further said.