House Speaker Martin Romualdez delivers an address before Congress adjourned sine die on Wednesday, May 31, 2023. (Photo from a video posted on Facebook by the House of Representatives)
Under the leadership of Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, the House of Representatives has achieved a remarkable feat in passing a record number of bills and resolutions during the First Regular Session of the 19th Congress. This successful collaboration with the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Romualdez Marcos Jr. has been hailed as the key to their legislative accomplishments.
Quezon Representative Mark Enverga, a staunch member of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), commended Speaker Romualdez and called on his colleagues to follow suit by prioritizing the passage of legislation that benefits the Filipino people.
“Speaker Romualdez is leading by example, urging us to be more productive as we approach the 2nd Regular Session of Congress. I wholeheartedly agree that our focus should be on serving our constituents and working for the welfare of the Filipino people,” stated Enverga, who also chairs the House Committee on Agriculture and Food.
Enverga emphasized the strong synergy between Speaker Romualdez and President Marcos, asserting that it has contributed to the chamber’s effectiveness in achieving their objectives, particularly the passage of priority legislation outlined by the President.
Furthermore, Speaker Romualdez and Enverga issued a warning to all profiteers, including the cartel and other individuals involved in manipulating onion prices, that they will face prosecution for taking advantage of consumers.
Last year, Speaker Romualdez initiated a congressional probe into the surging onion prices, which reached over P700 per kilo, to address the issue and safeguard consumer interests.
During the First Regular Session, the House of Representatives processed an impressive total of 9,600 measures, including 8,490 bills, 1,109 resolutions, and one petition. This equates to an average of 30 measures per session day over the 10-month duration of the session.
Out of the 42 bills identified as priority measures by President Marcos and the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC), the House successfully approved 33 on third and final reading, contributing to a total of 577 bills passed on final reading.
Enverga highlighted that the House’s outstanding performance has earned recognition from the Filipino people, as reflected in high trust, performance, and satisfaction ratings in surveys conducted by prominent polling firms such as Social Weather Stations (SWS), Pulse Asia, and Octa Research.
“Both the House of Representatives and Speaker Romualdez have received high marks in recent surveys. We must remain focused on our responsibilities and not allow any distractions to hinder our good performance. Our priority is the welfare of the people,” emphasized Enverga.
According to an Octa Research survey conducted from March 24 to 28, Speaker Romualdez garnered a 59 percent satisfaction rating, a notable increase of 15 percent compared to the October 2022 survey. He also earned a 55 percent trust rating, indicating a majority of Filipinos trust his leadership—an increase of 17 percent from the previous quarter in 2022.
Similar positive ratings were obtained in recent surveys conducted by SWS and Pulse Asia, where the House of Representatives and Speaker Romualdez achieved 56 percent and 51 percent satisfaction and performance ratings, respectively.
“We owe our success to the strong synergy we have with Malacañang. It is through teamwork that we have achieved all of this. Thus, we must further strengthen our harmonious relationship with President Marcos’ administration,” concluded Enverga.
RELATED STORIES