House Speaker Martin Romualdez (left), Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte (Speaker’s office, Facebook)

Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte said that Speaker Martin Romualdez was being "modest" when the latter recently reported the House of Representatives' achievements in the 19th Congress.

As far as Villafuerte is concerned, Romualdez didn't give himself credit for steering the ship that is the lower chamber. 

“Speaker Martin has traced the impressive performance of the 307-member House to the continued hard work and diligence of his colleagues, but, in all modestly, has failed to mention that this unbroken record of enormous legislative productivity in the 19th Congress couldn’t have happened minus the purposive, action-oriented leadership of the congressman from Leyte in shepherding through the chamber nearly all of the priority measures of the Marcos presidency," he said.

Villafuerte was referring to Romualdez's lauding of his fellow comgressmen's efforts the part few months, which have resulted to their high production in terms of measures passed and with their oversight function. 

“As the Speaker himself has pointed out, the House’s legacy of enormous productivity “underscores the pivotal role of legislation in shaping a stronger, more inclusive Philippines,’ which, for me, seals our bigger chamber’s standing as a strategic partner of President Marcos in his vision of a prosperous and peaceful Bagong Pilipinas where no Filipino will be left behind,” said the Bicolano.

He thus called for “greater unity in the Congress and Malacañan this new year onward so we can carry on with the splendid level of cooperation and hard work by the supermajority alliance that is behind the House’s approval of 61 of the 64 priority measures that the President had either endorsed in his past State of the Nation Addresses (SONAs) or identified with the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC)".

Villafuerte authored or co-authored 47 of the 61 priority measures passed by the House.

He reiterated his full backing for Romualdez’s move for the House to wield its oversight powers to, among others, compel establishments to abide by laws granting discounts and other benefits to senior citizens, solo parents and persons with disabilities (PWDs).

With Romualdez as Speaker in the current 19th Congress, the House has thus far passed 1,368 measures, including 166 that have become Republic Acts (RAs) or laws. Of the figure, 73 are national laws while 93 are of local scope. 

Villafuerte is the president of the National Unity Party (NUP) the biggest political party in Congress next to the Romualdez-led Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD).