A total of 285 congressmen have expressed their backing of current Speaker Martin Romualdez heading into the 20th Congress--a development that has practically assured him of retaining the top post in the House of Representatives.
Deputy Speaker Quezon 2nd district Rep. David "Jay-Jay" Suarez said in a statement Sunday, May 25 that 278 out of these 285 solons have signed formal declarations of support for Romualdez, with the latest batch of backers coming from the Liberal Party (LP).
“As of today, 285 House members have expressed support for Speaker Romualdez, with 278 lawmakers having already signed formal declarations—including four out of six members of the LP who are now part of the larger movement for legislative continuity and national stability,” Suarez said.
The once-ruling LP isn't traditionally part of the administration coalition, but some members are apparently making an exception for Romualdez, the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) president.
The upcoming 20th Congress covers the final half of President Marcos' three-year term in Malacañang.
“Speaker Romualdez has earned the trust of the current and incoming members of the House through principled, results-oriented leadership. What we are witnessing is no longer just support from traditional allies—it’s a political groundswell cutting across the entire spectrum," Suarez said.
“The Speaker is also heeding the President’s call for results-oriented leadership, as demonstrated by the House of Representatives’ swift approval of the majority of priority measures aligned with the Chief Executive’s legislative agenda,” added the deputy speaker.
The pro-Romualdez supermajority bloc includes parties such as Lakas-CMD, Nacionalista Party (NP), National Unity Party (NUP), Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), the Party-list Coalition Foundation Inc. (PCFI), and now, the LP.
For many lawmakers, the decision of the majority of LP members to align with Speaker Romualdez reflects a recognition of the leadership maturity and policy competence needed at a time when effective lawmaking and institutional harmony must take precedence over political divides.
“Leadership in the House is about bringing people together to pass meaningful laws. Speaker Romualdez has done that, time and again. The unity we now see among House members reflects a collective commitment to stability, progress, and responsible governance under his stewardship,” Suarez said.
This comes after Suarez earlier declared last week that the race for the Speakership in the 20th Congress was effectively over, with Romualdez enjoying the clear backing of an overwhelming majority.
“This is already a supermajority. Tapos na (It's over). The Speaker has the numbers,” he said.