Arroyo endorses Romualdez as Speaker of 19th Congress

Former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo

MANILA, Philippines — Former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has endorsed Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez to be the Speaker of the incoming 19th Congress.

In a statement on Saturday, Arroyo, who also served as Speaker of the House in the 17th Congress, said she and Romualdez have worked together “for decades” “to serve the Filipino people.”

“Majority Leader Martin Romualdez and I have been working together for decades in a joint effort to do our best to serve the Filipino people. Since 2010, our partnership involved our service as fellow members of the House of Representatives,” she said.

The former president, who ran unopposed and was reelected as representative of the 2nd District of Pampanga in the 2022 elections, urged Lakas-CMD members to also support Romualdez.

“I will be returning to the House on June 30, 2022. I would therefore like to advise the members of the Lakas-CMD that I am throwing my support for Majority Leader Martin Romualdez to be elected as House Speaker in the next Congress. I urge all members of our party to do the same,” she said.

Arroyo had endorsed the candidacy of presumptive president Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his running mate, presumptive vice president Sara Duterte-Carpio. She is the chairman emeritus of the LAKAS-CMD party where Romualdez is the president.

Duterte-Carpio ran for the vice presidency under the banner of LAKAS-CMD.

Romualdez, a cousin of Marcos Jr. and the campaign manager of Duterte-Carpio, ran unopposed and was reelected as representative of the 1st District of Leyte in the 2022 polls.

It will be his fifth term as representative of his district.

The National Unity Party earlier endorsed Romualdez to be the next Speaker.

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