The House of Representatives is more trusted and performs better than the Senate. Why the need to change the House Speaker?

Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon highlighted in a statement Friday, Aug. 8 that the House under Speaker Martin Romualdez has overtaken the Senate in both public trust and satisfaction ratings.

It was two days ago when Senator Imee Marcos mockingly told House members to replace their Speaker, in a move that appeared to cast aside interparliamentary courtesy between the two co-equal chambers.

Ridon, chairman of the Committee on Public Accounts, said the recent OCTA survey results which showed the House slightly edging out the Senate in public trust and performance ratings were proof that “steady, consistent work” under Romualdez has not gone unnoticed by the Filipino public.

“There is no reason to change the House leadership if it remains fully committed to ensuring accountability from high public officials through impeachment and other lawful proceedings,” Ridon said, in obvious reference to Senator Marcos' remarks.

He says the survey numbers speak volumes about the lower chamber’s performance and public accountability.

"For the first time in recent memory, the House has surpassed the Senate in public trust and performance ratings. That’s not just a fluke. That’s hard work in action,” he added.

The July 2025 OCTA survey showed the House received a 57 percent trust rating (up from 49 percent), and a satisfaction ratings of 55 percent (from 47 percent). This is better than the Senate’s scores of 49 percent and 47 percent, respectively.

Historically, the Senate has consistently ranked higher in both metrics. Ridon said the change should be seen as a reflection of the lower chamber’s sustained effort to address issues relevant to ordinary Filipinos.

He said Romualdez’s leadership was inclusive, focused and “deliberately in the trenches with the members".

He pointed to the consistent passage of Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) priority measures, the resolution of high-profile public controversies, and the transparency shown in committee investigations as proof that the House had matured into an institution that people can rely on.

“So nakikita nung tao ‘yung sipag ng 19th Congress. Dati, sanay na ang House na mas mababa siya sa Senate sa trust and satisfaction ratings. Pero nakita natin, mas mataas na siya ngayon,” Ridon stated.

(So the people are seeing the diligence of the 19th Congress. Before, the House was used to having lower trust and satisfaction ratings than the Senate. But now we’ve seen that it’s higher.)

“At nakita nyo naman ‘yung sa Senate. Sumadsad ang trust and satisfaction ratings niya. Trust means tiwala ng taong-bayan, bumaba. ‘Yung satisfaction ratings, patungkol ito sa performance eh. So hindi lang tumaas ‘yung sa House, nag-nosedive ‘yung sa Senate,” he continued.

(And you’ve seen what happened with the Senate. Its trust and satisfaction ratings plummeted. Trust means the people’s confidence in it went down. Satisfaction ratings refer to performance. So it’s not just that the House’s ratings went up, the Senate’s nosedived.)

“Political heat on the institution will always be there. But the public sees who’s working and who’s performing. Kaya hindi natin alam kung bakit ‘yung mga senador eh todo criticize sa House leadership (That's why we don't know why the senators keep on criticizing the House leadership),' Ridon further said.