FILE PHOTO: Leyte 1st District Rep. Martin Romualdez and his nephew, Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos. INQUIRER/GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
MANILA, Philippines — Leyte 1st District Rep. Martin Romualdez is deemed the “most qualified” to lead the House of Representatives in the 19th Congress, according to his colleagues at the lower chamber who nominated him and supported his nomination.
Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos nominated Romualdez, while several other lawmakers, including Rep. Ralph Recto of Batangas, seconded the nomination.
Romualdez, who served as Majority Leader in the 18th Congress, was the lone candidate for the top House post.
Rep. Marcos said he endorsed the Leyte congressman not because of “familial relations” but because of his qualifications.
The Ilocos Norte neophyte congressman is a nephew of Romualdez, a cousin of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. – the father of Sandro.
READ: Romualdez installed as House Speaker of 19th Congress
“With UNITY at the core of the government as our shared vision for the next six years, the House of Representatives requires – now more than ever – a leader that embodies inclusivity, possesses unquestionable competency, and feels genuinely for the people we are all duty-bound to serve,” said Rep. Marcos.
“In his twelve solid years of legislative experience, he is best known as a consensus-builder… We know that it is not an easy feat for a person to listen to and consolidate support from more than 300 elected officials,” he added.
Rep. Marcos also said that Romualdez listens to and values the opinion of everyone. He likewise said his uncle is a hard worker.
“Because of this positive trait, he, along with other members of the 18th Congress, were able to usher with expediency the two critical Bayanihan bills in the House of Representatives during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, just when the country needed these laws the most,” he said.
“With him as the House Majority Leader, Congress was able to pass laws supportive of economic growth such as the CREATE Law, as well as measures amending the Public Service Act and the Foreign Investments Act of 1991. Such accomplishments have shown that he is able to strike a healthy equilibrium between economic interests and public welfare,” he further noted.
Rep. Marcos said Romualdez’s qualifications to become Speaker “are beyond sufficient to lead us to great heights.”
He also pointed out that Romualdez is well-loved by his constituents in the first district of Leyte.
“He is popular for his meaningful community programs and initiatives that positively impact the lives of many of his constituents. Should he be the next leader of the House of Representatives, we can only expect with much enthusiasm that his genuine interest and compassion for people will be reflective of the facets that the 19th Congress hopes to possess,” he said.
In supporting Rep. Marcos’ nomination of the Leyte congressman for the speakership, former senator Recto said: “Representative Romualdez can shepherd the bills that can help our country as skillfully as he can stop the ones that harm our people.”
“I am confident that with him, a constitutionalist, at the helm, he will keep the plenary a hospitable space for all opinions while keeping the conveyor belt of laws moving,” Recto said.
Recto then described Romualdez as “a workhorse, in a political culture which tempts many to become show horses.”
“While others chase headlines, he searches for good bills instead, and whenever he finds one, he does not loudly annotate a work in progress through tweets, but lets the finished product speak for itself. Well, brilliance has no need for a bullhorn,” he said.
Recto said Romualdez had mastered the process of consultation and consensus.
“He will act on bills promptly because a people tired of being promised can no longer afford to wait while allowing full discussion because a legislature ceases to be deliberative when it begins to shun debate,” he stressed.