Marcos cousin Romualdez likely to become Speaker

MANILA: A lawmaker-cousin of presumptive president Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos is also on the rise following his endorsement by the country’s political “giants” as the next speaker in the House of Representatives.

He is Congressman Martin Romualdez of Leyte province in the Visayas, the House majority leader in the 18th Congress. He is the first cousin of Marcos, his father being the late Benjamin Romualdez, the youngest brother of former first lady Imelda Romualdez-marcos and former Philippine ambassador to the US.

Then president Gloria Macapagal-arroyo, who won re-election in the May 9 elections as congresswoman of her home province of Pampanga in Central Luzon, first endorsed Romualdez as the next House speaker in the coming 19th Congress.

Many viewed the Arroyo endorsement as having helped Romualdez establish a “supermajority coalition” ahead of the opening of the 19th Congress on July 25 when Marcos is to deliver his first state-of-the-nation address.

Since then, leaders of other political parties have rallied behind Arroyo’s call for the election of Romualdez as the next House speaker. At latest count, a total 239 of the 300-member House assured their support for Romualdez – and the number continues to increase.

“He (Romualdez) gets things done, even the most difficult reforms like the Public Service Act as an example,” said reelected Congressman Joey Salceda of Albay province in the Bicol Region and the chairman of House Commitee on Appropriations. “A Romualdez speakership is an asset to a Marcos administration.”

If elected speaker, Romualdez said he would carry the message of unity as advocated by his cousin Marcos, the presumptive president as well as the only son and namesake of the late dictator.

“Again, we are following the theme, the message and desire of the incoming administration of President Bongbong Marcos for unity,” Romualdez said. He made the statement following his endorsement as the next House speaker by a coalition of partylist congressmen in the chamber.

Political analysts also acknowledged the vital role that Romualdez played in forging together political forces to rally behind the presidential candidacy of Marcos.

Romualdez is the president of the country’s re-emerging power bloc Lakas- Christian-muslim Democrats where Arroyo is also the chairmanemeritus. He is acknowledged to have helped convince Sara Duterte, the daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte and the mayor of their hometown of Davao City in Mindanao, to join Marcos as his vice presidential bet in the May 9 elections.