Martin Romualdez will be next Speaker – Sara Duterte

Update

MANILA, Philippines – Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte has endorsed Martin Romualdez as the next Speaker for the 18^th Congress.

Romualdez is running for Leyte 1st District representative under the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats party.

Sara, daughter of President Duterte, introduced Romualdez, a three-term congressman of Leyte’s first district, as the next Speaker during Tuesday’s campaign sortie of the Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) held at the jampacked Tacloban City Convention Center or the Tacloban Astrodome.

“Si Congressman Martin Romualdez ang susunod na Speaker ng House of Representatives,” said the Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) chairperson and Davao City mayor during the coalition’s campaign rally in Tacloban City on Tuesday.

(Congressman Martin Romualdez will be the next Speaker of the House.)

In response, Romualdez thanked the Davao City mayor for the endorsement.

“Nabubulunan na ko dito [kasi] dalawang beses sinabi ni Ma’am Inday Sara na ako ang magiging next Speaker of the House. Salamat po, Ma’am, sa tiwala at kumpiyansa sa akin. I am humbled by the mere mentioning of my name,” Romualdez said.

“I am very thankful, honored and grateful for the endorsement given to me by Mayor Sara in what is going to be a competitive speakership race,” he added.

Romualdez said he is committed to push the legislative agenda of the President, adding that he would remain a staunch ally of the administration.

“Right now, I am working very hard to ensure my victory in the coming election,” said Romualdez.

According to HNP press statement, Sara Duterte drove from Catarman, Northern Samar to Tacloban City, the capital of Eastern Visayas, on board her motorcycle for six hours as HNP kicked off its Visayas leg campaign caravan for its senatorial slate and allied candidates in the region led by Tingog party-list.

The 13 senatorial candidates of HNP are reelectionist senators Sonny Angara, Cynthia Villar, Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, and Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos, former Presidential Assistant Bong Go, former senators Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada and Bong Revilla, Deputy Speaker and Taguig City Rep. Pia Cayetano, former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Bato dela Rosa, Maguindanao Rep. Zajid Mangudadatu, Jiggy Manicad and former presidential political adviser Francis Tolentino.

In Tacloban City, the presidential daughter spoke of change and appealed to voters to support the Tingog and Hugpong’s senatorial candidates.

“We owe a lot from the people of Eastern Visayas for their support to President Rodrigo Duterte. I’ll take this opportunity to express our gratitude to everyone,” she said.

At the event, Sara also thanked the presence of local leaders headed by Yedda Romualdez, Tacloban mayoral candidate Alfred Romualdez, Tacloban Vice Mayor Jerry Yaokasin, Eastern Samar Governor Marcelo Ferdinand Picardal, Vice Governor Jonas Abuda, Eastern Samar Lone District congressional candidate Christopher Sheen Gonzales, and Leyte Second District Representative Henry Ong, among other officials.

Yedda Romualdez said that the alliance between Tingog and Hugpong “will pave the way for a farther reach of the advocacies of both parties through the provision of mutual support.”

“As a regional political party in Region, Tingog aims to articulate the principles, hopes and aspirations of the people of Eastern Visayas in their common pursuit towards transformational politics, genuine shared governance and the full development of the country’s social, geographic and economic peripheries leading to the creation of a truly democratic representative democracy and the building of an inclusive and progressive Filipino community,” said Yedda Romualdez.

The other nominees of Tingog are Jude Acidre, Jamie Go, Alexis Yu, and Jenifer Padual.