Senator Imee Marcos has no business telling the House of Representatives who should or should not lead the 300-plus strong legislative chamber.

Senior Deputy Speaker Quezon 2nd district Rep. David "Jay-Jay" Suarez, Deputy Majority Leader Zambales 1st district Rep. Jay Khonghun, and Deputy Majority Leader Lanao del Sur 1st district Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong made this call out on Thursday morning, Aug. 7 following the lady senators tirades during plenary session at the Senate the previous evening.

“Let me be clear: no senator, regardless of stature or history, has the right to dictate who should lead the House. That decision rests solely with the elected members of this chamber, and Speaker Romualdez continues to enjoy our overwhelming confidence,” Suarez said in a statement.

During the plenary vote on whether or not to archive the House-initiated impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte, Senator Marcos took personal shots at House Speaker Martin Romualdez, her own cousin.

In a mocking and condescending tone, the lady senator and known ally of Vice President Duterte prodded the House members "to replace your Speaker".

Suarez further called Senator Marcos' remarks “a blatant overreach into the affairs of a co-equal chamber".

Khonghun underscored the fundamental principle that co-equal branches of government--such as the House and the 24-member Senate--should refrain from meddling in each other’s internal decisions, especially when it comes to choosing their own leaders.

He said Senator Marcos’ remarks risked not just political tensions but also the breakdown of mutual respect that the legislative branch depends on.

“What was said was not just a personal opinion. It became a public provocation. And when a senator calls for the ouster of the House Speaker, that’s not just political noise anymore, it becomes borderline interference,” Khonghun said.

He added that Romualdez, president of the dominant Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) party, retains the solid support of the overwhelming majority of House members.

“Let’s be clear: Speaker Romualdez was chosen by his peers. He has led with clarity and vision, even amid difficult and sensitive political moments. That kind of leadership doesn’t get replaced just because one senator says so,” he said.

For his part, Adiong told Senator Marcos that Romualdez "does not serve at the pleasure of the Senate".

“This is not about Speaker Romualdez. This is about the institutional mandate of the House to initiate impeachment. Trying to pin this all on one man is a cheap political trick,” he said.

Adiong said that instead of attacking the Speaker, senators should “focus on their constitutional duty to try impeached officials—not run away from it".

“The Speaker does not serve at the pleasure of the Senate. He serves because the House overwhelmingly trusts him to lead us in a time of great political responsibility. And he has done so with utmost integrity,” Adiong said.

“Maybe the better question is: Why is the Senate avoiding accountability? Why archive a complaint when the Supreme Court hasn’t even ruled with finality yet?” he asked.