House is in order, says Romualdez
\Speaker Martin Romualdez. (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)
MANILA, Philippines — With just two weeks remaining before Congress adjourns its first regular session, leaders of the House of Representatives assured Filipinos on Sunday that the chamber would continue its work, set aside “ill-timed” politicking, and craft legislation to address issues affecting ordinary Filipinos.
“The House of the people is in order,” Speaker Martin Romualdez said in a statement, pointing out that the lower chamber would not allow itself to be distracted from its work.
“Rather than engaging in politicking, I would rather that we, in the House of Representatives, remain focused on more urgent matters,” he said. Congress is set to adjourn on June 2 for a monthlong break.
‘Ill-timed politicking’
“The [Unity Team], which the House leadership has always been a part of, must continue to focus on finding immediate solutions to problems of ordinary Filipinos. The House chooses to focus on addressing low power supply, high electricity rates, telco issues, and unstable commodity prices, instead of political destabilization,” the speaker further said.
“Let’s set aside ill-timed politicking. If we focus more of our time in finding solutions to the real problems ordinary Filipinos face, we will all rise again together,” he said, reiterating the Uniteam coalition’s campaign slogan last year.
Romualdez noted that the House has approved on third and final reading at least 29 of 42 bills comprising President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s legislative agenda, including measures condoning the debts of agrarian reform beneficiaries, creation of medical specialty centers in the provinces and the magna carta bills to protect the rights and promote the welfare of barangay health workers and seafarers.
Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker Ralph Recto downplayed an emerging rift between Romualdez and former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, now a Pampanga representative, who purportedly tried to overthrow Romualdez.
‘Tempest in a teacup’
Recto said the incident was just a passing spat between friends, a political “tempest in a teacup” too weak to wash away a strong alliance.
He said in a statement: “The fog of miscommunication will soon clear, the vow of cooperation will be renewed and attempts to drive a wedge between them shall have failed.”
According to Recto, “the presidency has been served well by this working partnership, two House leaders pooling their expertise and experience in providing valuable counsel to the leader of the land. This tandem is instrumental in the House’s prodigious output of bills, and the vigilant exercise of its oversight powers.”
He further pointed out, “The country has so many problems. Congress is focused on solutions. It will not feast on intrigues.”
“The uninformed will say that unity has cracked. Nothing is farther from the truth. No wound needs healing as none was inflicted,” he concluded.
