According to several House leaders on Thursday, a sufficient number of congressmen have already signed a manifesto to re-elect Leyte Congressman Martin Romualdez as Speaker of the House of Representatives.
This was revealed by House Assistant Majority Leaders Ernesto Dionisio of Manila and Zia Adiong of Lanao del Sur when asked whether Romualdez was still seeking support during the orientation for new congressmen.
“Congress is a collegial body. There are already at least 283 who signed the manifesto. That number is an overwhelming majority in support of Speaker Martin Romualdez, and this manifesto shows strong support for his leadership from the House members and the incoming 20th Congress,” Dionisio told reporters.
When asked if there are any other strong contenders for Speaker aside from Romualdez, Dionisio said, “It seems unlikely.”
Earlier, House Deputy Speaker and Cebu Representative Duke Frasco did not sign the manifesto, which led to his expulsion from the National Unity Party (NUP), which backs Romualdez.
Following this, Frasco announced that his candidates for Speaker are either Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco or Negros Occidental Rep.-elect Albee Benitez.
According to Adiong, congressmen are free to choose whoever they want to be the next leader.
“No one is being forced here,” said Adiong.
However, Adiong insisted that Romualdez’s leadership is strong and effective, and therefore should be maintained.
“If it is not broken, why fix it?” Adiong said.
Adiong and Dionisio also stated that Romualdez did not discuss the Speakership race during the fellowship meeting with the new congressmen.
“The Speaker was there mainly to give guidance and show support to the new members of the House. Speaker Martin was simply guiding the new members on how they could become effective leaders of their respective districts. There was no discussion about leadership support or anything related to House positions,” Dionisio said.
