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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Sandro Marcos helps organize House in record time

Sandro Marcos helps organize House in record time

Published Aug 17, 2025 01:23 pm

At A Glance

  • The House of Representatives has achieved a record of sorts in the 20th Congress under Speaker Martin Romualdez and his right-hand man, Majority Leader Ilocos Norte 1st district Rep. Sandro Marcos.
Majority Leader Ilocos Norte 1st district Rep. Sandro Marcos (Facebook)
Majority Leader Ilocos Norte 1st district Rep. Sandro Marcos (Facebook)


The House of Representatives has achieved a record of sorts in the 20th Congress under Speaker Martin Romualdez and his right-hand man, Majority Leader Ilocos Norte 1st district Rep. Sandro Marcos.
This, after it only took the House leadership two weeks to finalize the organization of the chamber.
“As of August 6, upon the guidance of Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, we are proud to report that in record time, we have filled 76 out of 80 committee chairmanships—95 percent of the total. This shows how serious we are in getting to work right away,” Rep. Marcos announced.
It has only been two weeks since the 20th Congress opened on July 28, the same day as President Marcos delivered his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA).
Historically, organizing the House would take a month or more.
The presidential son and Committee on Rules chairman said this speed highlights the chamber’s determination to move decisively on the President’s ‘Bagong Pilipinas’ legislative priorities.
Rep. Marcos noted that the speed of the 20th Congress organization was about efficiency and giving lawmakers more time to act on urgent national concerns.
“The sooner we organize, the sooner we legislate. Every day we save means more time to craft solutions, respond to challenges, and deliver results for our people,” he noted.
The organization of the 300-plus strong House began last July 28 when Romualdez, Leyte's 1st district congressman, ran unopposed and was elected Speaker, the top post in the chamber. He also served as Speaker in the 19th Congress.
Rep. Marcos--last Congress' senior deputy majority leader--was subsequently named majority leader.
Rep. Marcos' counterpart--and also reprising his role from the 19th Congress--is Minority Leader 4Ps Party-list Rep. Marcelino "Nonoy" Libanan.
The younger Marcos has been at the forefront of filling up committee chairmanships and electing members to these panels. These committees are the heart and soul of the legislative chamber as they are tasked to deliberate on the thousands of bills each Congress.
On Monday, Aug. 18, the House will kick off its deliberations on the P6.793-trillion National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2026.
"The House of Representatives is now set to open marathon budget deliberations and fast-track priority measures aligned with national goals of inclusive growth, stronger institutions, and better services for all Filipinos," the chamber said in a statement.
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