Lanao del Sur 1st district Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong has a very personal reason as ro why he's sticking to Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez for his choice as House Speaker for the upcoming 20th Congress.
Over the weekend, Adiong cited Romualdez for giving unprecedented focus on the rehabilitation of Marawi City, which was devastated during the 2017 siege when it was occupied by terrorists.
“Kauna-unahang Speaker na binigyan talaga niya ng attention ang rehabilitation sa Marawi. That is, to me, very personal (The very first Speaker who truly gave attention to the rehabilitation of Marawi. That is, to me, very personal),” Adiong said.
“He created ’yung (the) ad hoc committee on Marawi rehabilitation so that there would be a focused group or a specific attention that would be given specifically for the rehabilitation and rebuilding of Marawi City, including the amount of compensation that are rightfully to be given to the victims. Nalagyan ’yan ng ganoong klaseng focus (That’s the focus that it was given),” he explained.
Adiong, an assistant majority leader, is the chairman of this ad hoc committee in the current 19th Congress.
“There’s no reason for me to look around and shop for a possible replacement of the Speaker. There’s no—completely no—reason for me to do that. That’s why I would maintain my support to the current leadership of the House, which is in this case Speaker Martin Romualdez,” he said.
Romualdez, the current House Speaker, appears to have locked down the Speakership in the upcoming Congress based on the amount of support he has received the past two weeks.
Reports said that 285 House members have expressed their backing of Romualdez, with 278 of these solon already formally signing a manifesto of support.
The House of Representatives is expected to have 317 members in the upcoming 20th Congress.
Adiong emphasized that Romualdez, the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) president, has earned the trust of the chamber through performance and leadership.
Asked about the importance of continuity, Adiong says it is often what is missing in government and must be preserved in leadership.
“Alam mo, isa, maganda ’yung ginamit mo na word—continuity. Actually, ’yan ang minsan ang kulang sa atin. Kung nanaisin mo, ’yung gumamit din ng kapareha ng word na ginamit mo, which is sustainability,” he said.
(You know, one thing—the word you used, continuity, is a good one. Actually, that is sometimes what we lack. If you wish, you can also use a word similar to what you used, which is sustainability.)
“That’s why kailangan mo talaga ng (you really need) continuity of service. You also have to make sure that the program is sustainable. You apply that same logic to legislation,” Adiong said.