Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez is new House speaker
MANILA, Philippines (Update 2, 6:46 p.m.) — An overwhelming majority of 283 members of the House of Representatives on Monday elected Rep. Martin Romualdez (Leyte) as the chamber’s next speaker, a position that he ran for unopposed.
There were four abstentions, and one nay vote. Another 22 members of the House did not vote, but were reqeusted to attend a meeting on the composition of the minority bloc later in the afternoon.
A shoo-in even during the early stages of the speakership battle, Romualdez is expected to easily lead the House and pass laws prioritized by him and his cousin, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., as a supermajority has pledged support for the new administration.
Romualdez was nominated by his nephew, Rep. Ferdinand Alexander Marcos, who echoed his father’s pitch for unity in stressing that the House needs “a leader that embodies inclusivity, possesses unquestionable competency and feels genuinely for the people.”
The younger Marcos recognized Romualdez as a “consensus-builder,” which he credited for his being able to pass the two Bayanihan bills which aided the country through the pandemic.
Ferdinand Alexander said Romualdez’ qualifications are “beyond sufficient to lead us to great heights” and appealed to look beyond the new speaker’s familial ties with the Marcoses.
Reps. Ralph Recto, Isidro Ungab, Roberto Puno, Camille Villar, Kristine Singson-Meehan, Raymond Democrito Mendoza and Aurelio Gonzales seconded the nomination of Romualdez.
House members cited Romualdez's leadership, work ethic and his consensus-buidling as qualities that make him an ideal speaker.
There were no other nominations for speaker of the House.
The lower chamber of Congress has typically been controlled by the sitting administration, as House leaders — who are usually allies of the president — regulate funding for lawmakers’ projects for their constituents.
Romualdez had prior experience in this, having been the majority leader throughout the 18th Congress despite serving under two different speakers — now Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano and then Rep. Lord Allan Velasco (Marinduque).
The two were his opponents for the heated speakership fight at the beginning of the previous Congress, where then President Rodrigo Duterte had to intervene and broker an agreement where Cayetano and Velasco split the term and Romualdez sat as majority leader.
The battle for the speakership this time around was far less dramatic as Romualdez clinched early on the support of the major political parties that compose the House. It also helped that he is president of Lakas-CMD, which is emerging as one of the dominant parties in the chamber.
As speaker, Romualdez said among his priorities are next year’s national budget, a new stimulus package aimed at helping the country recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and postponing the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan polls scheduled in December.
Members who vote for the winning candidate for speaker become part of the majority and can elect their majority leader.
Meanwhile, Rep. Manuel Jose Dalipe (Zamboanga City) was elected majority leader, a post which essentially serves as the speaker's right hand in shepherding measures in the chamber.
Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, former president and House speaker, was elected senior deputy speaker, while Reps. Isidro Ungab (Davao City), Roberto Puno (Antipolo City), Camille Villar (Las Piñas City), Kristine Singson-Meehan (Ilocos Sur) and Raymond Democrito Mendoza (TUCP party-list) were elected deputy speakers.
The deputy speakership is a plum post which comes with an additional annual budget for their respective offices and voting powers in all committees in the chamber.
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