Romualdez pondering VP run after getting Duterte boost

House Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — House Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez will “definitely” consider running for vice president in the 2022 national elections after President Duterte said he would support his candidacy.

But Romualdez said he remained focused for now in steering the approval in Congress of the priority legislative agenda of the President.

“Currently, I am keeping my options open with regard to the 2022 elections. For sure, the President’s warm support and words of encouragement will weigh heavily on whatever decision I have to make in October 2021,” he said in a statement on Thursday.

The Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) stalwart said he would seek the guidance of Duterte in making his decision for next year’s elections.

Romualdez said at an online press briefing with reporters that he was “surprised but honored” with the statement of the President during a speech in Malacañang on Wednesday.

Priority

Duterte told House and Senate leaders he would support Romualdez, a cousin of former Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., should he decide to run for vice president.

“Definitely, I would consider that, but for now our priority, our focus is to pass all the legislation and initiative that are needed by the administration to defeat this COVID pandemic,” Romualdez said.

He said he would be running in the 2022 elections but he had not made public anything concrete about his political plans.

“I have not even decided myself on a national run but, definitely, it is something that we will be considering and making consultations with our party mates and our constituency,” he said, referring to the possibility of running for vice president.

Romualdez also said he had not yet decided who to support for president in 2002 but cited that his party, Lakas-CMD and the Hugpong ng Pagbabago of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte have an alliance and “we are looking forward to strengthening it further as we look toward the 2022 elections.”

“In fact, we will strengthen our alliance and we will formalize that very soon, at a proper time and what is most mutually convenient to both parties,” he said without elaborating further. INQ