Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez (HOR FB PAGE)
MANILA, Philippines — Members of the Lakas-CMD bloc in the House of Representatives — including former president and incumbent Pampanga 2nd District Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo — have signed a manifesto defending Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez from ‘unfounded criticisms’.
In the manifesto released Friday, party members said they stand united to defend Romualdez from the criticisms hurled at him, in the context of the people’s initiative.
Romualdez was accused by different sectors, including some senators, of supposedly initiating the signature campaign to amend the 1987 Constitution. The Speaker and House officials have denied this accusation several times.
“We, the members of the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) in the House of Representatives, stand united in our resolve to defend the integrity of our esteemed Speaker, the Honorable Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, against the unfounded criticisms levied upon him in the context of the People’s Initiative to amend the 1987 Constitution,” Lakas-CMD said.
“We express our unwavering support for Speaker Martin Romualdez, recognizing his leadership and commitment to the principles of democracy and good governance. The allegations against him, centered around the People’s Initiative, are baseless and do not reflect the true nature of his service to the nation.”
Romualdez is president of Lakas-CMD, which is currently the ruling party in the House of Representatives.
According to Lakas-CMD, Romualdez’ leadership led the House to achieve significant feats in terms of legislation — with over 11,000 measures filed, including 600 pending in the Senate, as of December 2023.
Staffers from the office of Lakas-CMD executive vice president and Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe that Arroyo was one of the 91 signatories.
Arroyo’s signature to the Lakas-CMD manifesto is important not only due to the former president’s role as party chairperson-emeritus, but also because she and Romualdez were rumored to be feuding in 2023.