“He has a proven and untarnished track record as a lawmaker and is now quickly turning the 311 members of the lower chamber into a united, cohesive, and powerful legislative force”
Numerous political giants have served in the House of Representatives since its first speaker, the late great Sergio Osmeña, took the gavel in 1907.
Since then, the Speakership has seen the ascendency of what many consider as titans in Philippine politics, which include three Presidents of the Republic and an innumerable number of public servants immortalized by their public service legacy.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives is the fourth-highest official in Philippine government.
Speaker of the House
He presides over meetings; rules on all orderly matters, subject to appeal by any member; signs all acts, resolutions, memorials, writs, warrants, and subpoenas issued by or on the directive of the House; appoints, suspends, dismisses, or otherwise disciplines members of the House; and performs administrative duties.
At the start of each Congress, the Speaker is chosen by a vote of a majority of the members.
Ferdinand Martin Romualdez is now the 24th Speaker of the House after being elected during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s first State of the Nation Address on July 25, 2022.
Building consensus and working hard are the keys to Speaker FMR’s leadership success. Coming from a Majority Floor Leader role in the 18th Congress, he is known to stay out of the limelight and work hard behind the scenes, preferring quiet consultation over the cacophony and brightness of the rostrum.
This is unusual for a public servant who comes from the same family as the 10th Speaker of the House of Representatives—Daniel Z. Romualdez—but it is what he does, and it is who he is.
Speaker Romualdez is an experienced lawmaker who has been in Congress for more than a decade. He served three terms as Leyte 1st district representative from 2007 to 2016 before returning to serve his constituents in 2019. He served as Majority Leader just as the call for sweeping measures was made to stem the effects of a global COVID-19 pandemic.
He played a key role in enabling the swift enactment of the COVID-19 Vaccination Act of 2021 and the Malasakit Centers Act, as well as the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act (Bayanihan 1) and the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan 2).
He shepherded the Committee system into crafting a record number of policy reforms, the filing of 1,463 Committee Reports, and the approval by the House of some 1,213 measures, 197 of which were enacted into law.
He also served as the chairperson of the Defeat COVID-19 Ad Hoc Committee (DCC), which worked tirelessly to consult stakeholders and develop strategies for reducing the pandemic’s dire effects.
He has a proven and untarnished track record as a lawmaker and is now quickly turning the 311 members of the lower chamber into a united, cohesive, and powerful legislative force.
During the first regular session of the House of Representatives, Romualdez laid out the achievements of the 19th Congress, highlighted by the breakneck pace at which pro-people measures were passed.
This, we surmise, is the kind of leadership he brings and what makes Speaker FMR different from those who came before him: swift and efficient governance in which every Filipino is included in all development agenda.
No one gets left behind, regardless of political affiliation.
More than 400 bills and resolutions were acted upon in record time. This is the equivalent of 19 measures per day in only 23 session days since Romualdez assumed the post in July up to the last day of the first regular session on September 28, 2022.
The most important of these measures, no doubt, would be the expeditious though grueling passage of the P5.268-trillion General Appropriations Bill (GAB) or proposed national budget on third and final reading.
“Compared to the previous congresses, we had less calendar days prior to the first adjournment. Yet, in that period, a greater number of measures—totaling 5,696 – were filed by our members, showing clear passion and dedication to their constituents and their advocacies,” said Romualdez who also serves as Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) party president.
In his address to the Lower House during the opening of HRep Month 2022, Romualdez vowed to be willing and eager to hear the concerns of each and every House member, be it a solon or congressional staff with regard to employees’ issues and concerns.
“You will have a listening Speaker, who is willing to hear you out,” he said.
Romualdez has been known as a generous purveyor of legislative knowledge, guiding his wife and Tingog Sinirangan Party-list Representative Yedda Marie Romualdez during her first term as congresswoman while honing his nephew, now 1st District of Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos, to the charismatic solon he is today.
With Speaker FMR at the helm of the House of Representatives, it’s no surprise that the legislative agenda of the President is in good hands.
With his leadership style, a movement has been ignited in the lower chamber– all members knowing their roles to create a united House focused on hammering out key measures for all Filipinos.
Before the House adjourned its session for the first recess of Congress, Romualdez summed it up clearly.
“Our mission from Day One is clear: Help resuscitate the pandemic-battered economy and make economic transformation the main engine to uplift the lives of the Filipino people.”
