Leyte lawmaker preparing to be minority leader

Reelected Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez has started consolidating his forces in preparation for becoming minority leader in the House of Representatives.

Romualdez hosted a luncheon get-together for his party mates in Lakas, the ruling party during the administration of detained former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria MacapagalArroyo.

Valenzuela Rep. Magtanggol Gunigundo I, who attended the get-together, said 10 Lakas members came to the luncheon meeting.

“Martin sought our support for the minority leadership, but told us that those who want to remain with the majority are free to do so,” he said.

He said Romualdez is recruiting additional supporters from incoming House members who are independents and from party-list representatives.

Gunigundo is one of three Lakas members who belong to the majority. He is a deputy majority leader. The two others are Rolando Andaya Jr. of Camarines Sur and Thelma Almario of Davao Oriental, who are both appropriations committee vice chairpersons.

Outgoing minority leader and Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez has declared Romualdez as the incoming minority leader.

He has announced that the Leyte lawmaker has met with or talked to Vice President Jejomar Binay and Navotas Rep. Tobias Tiangco to gain the support of House members belonging to United Nationalist Alliance (UNA).

Binay is one of UNA’s founders, while Tiangco is its secretary general. There are eight House members belonging to UNA, including Tiangco.

Tiangco has confirmed that Binay had a chance meeting with Romualdez in a Manila hotel. He also confirmed his phone conversation with the Lakas lawmaker.

“But in the vice president’s meeting and my conversation with him, we did not discuss the minority leadership issue,” the Navotas congressman said.

“We are not sure yet whether we will join the minority or the majority,” he said.

If the Tiangco group joins Romualdez, the Binay alliance will be with the opposition in both the Senate and the House.

In the Senate, the Vice President’s allies, including outgoing Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, will most likely comprise the minority.