Five leaders of the House of Representatives on Sunday were elated by the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showing that 53 percent or majority of Filipinos are satisfied with the performance of Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Representatives Robert Ace Barbers (Surigao del Norte), Dan Fernandez (Laguna), Joseph Stephen Paduano (Abang Lingkod party-list), Bienvenido Abante (Manila) and Romeo Acop (Antipolo City) thanked Filipinos for their continuing support for the leadership of Romualdez.
The lawmakers are part of the Quad Committee tasked to conduct a comprehensive inquiry into possible connections between the banned Philippine offshore gambling operations (POGOs), illegal drugs, extrajudicial killings (EJKs) and human rights violations during the previous administration.
“Congratulations to Speaker Martin for gaining 16 points increase in his satisfaction rating. This only proves that truly in his steering of the House, he follows the dictum of ‘action speaks louder than words,” Barbers said.
“No politics, no non-sense in the bills passed, no let-up in the inquiries conducted by the committees and no sacred cows or special treatment to anyone. Ito ay trabaho lang walang personalan (It’s just the job, nothing personal),” the Surigaonon lawmaker added.
Fernandez said Quad Comm would now take over his panel’s probe into illicit POGOs and their criminal activities. “What was more alarming is that these illegal activities involved Chinese nationals, though some of the victims are our own compatriots,” he said.
“We should stop these activities before they cause more harm on our nation and people,” Paduano noted.
Abante, for his part, said he would pursue his committee’s investigation into EJKs and human rights violations through Quad Comm. “We have to render justice to the victims and their families, and exact accountability on those responsible for the senseless killings and human rights violations.”
Acop, meanwhile, said the exercise by the House of its oversight function brings relief to people suffering from abuse and government neglect.
The recent SWS survey conducted from June 23 to July 1 included a sample of 1,500 adults nationwide and has a ±2.5 percent margin of error.
Romualdez saw a 16-point increase in his rating, rising from +37 in March to +53 in July.
The survey revealed that 53 percent of respondents were satisfied with the Speaker’s performance, while 24 percent were dissatisfied.
