House Speaker Martin Romualdez on Friday, March 7, felt bad as there were people criticizing Congress for the allocations it made under the 2025 national budget.

He says endeavors such as the upcoming Estancia-Manlot-Calagna-an-Sicogon submarine cable power interconnection project in Iloilo—the ground breaking of which he recently led—is one proof of where the people's money or taxes go.

"Mga kababayan, alam ko pong may mga bumabatikos sa Kongreso ngayon. Sinasabi nilang nasasayang ang pera ng taumbayan, na may hindi tamang paggasta sa ating pambansang pondo (My fellow countrymen, I know that there are people now criticizing Congress. They say that we're just wasting the people's money, that the national budget is being used inappropriately)," he said.

“Ito ang sagot ko: Narito ang inyong buwis! Napupunta ito sa proyektong may direkta at malinaw na benepisyo sa ating mga kababayan! (This is my answer: This project is where your taxes go. Your money goes to projects that have direct and clear benefits for our people),” he said.

Romualdez then echoed President Marcos' call for inclusive economic progress for all Filipinos, as he stressed that development should not only focus on the city but also on the countryside.

"At hindi po dito nagtatapos ang ating misyon. Tuloy-tuloy ang ating laban para sa mas maliwanag, mas maunlad, at mas patas na kinabukasan para sa bawat Pilipino (And our mission doesn't stop here. Our fight will continue for a clearer, more progressive and fairer future for Filipinos),” he said.