INCOMING House Speaker Martin Romualdez called on his colleagues in the House of Representatives to set aside politics and work together for a better nation under the new administration.

He made the appeal as more political parties rallied for him to be the next House leader forming a supermajority and as anointed by presumptive president Bongbong Marcos Jr.

Meanwhile, Romualdez expressed gratitude to the National People’s Coalition (NPC), the latest political group who has expressed full support to his Speakership.

“I extend my heartfelt gratitude to all Members of the NPC of the 19th Congress for expressing their full support to me as their preferred Speaker. The latest declaration of support from the 39-man contingent of the NPC highlights the desire of our newly-elected and re-elected congressmen to heed the call for unity of our incoming President Bongbong Marcos,” Romualdez said.

“With NPC’s declaration of support, the new administration now has a clear supermajority in the House of Representatives, which is crucial in pushing for legislative measures needed to move our country forward,” he added.

In an interview after the gathering of the members of the Party-list Coalition Foundation Inc., Romualdez acknowledged the gargantuan task of lawmakers in uplifting the lives of the Filipinos and therefore unity is imminent.

“Again we are following the theme, the message and the desire of the incoming administration of President Bongbong Marcos of unity,” Romualdez told reporters.

Romualdez was reacting to a laudable gesture made by Ilocos Norte 1st district Rep. Sandro Marcos toward retired Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Rowena Guanzon wherein Marcos shook Guanzon’s hand.

Sandro, Bongbong’s eldest son, is being mentored by Romualdez.

“Tapos na yung eleksyon, tapos na yung politika. Magtrabaho na tayong lahat, magkaisa na tayong lahat, isang bansa, isang Pilipino. Lahat-lahat tayo para sa Pilipino,” Romualdez said as if to remind the incoming members of the House of Representatives.

“So that’s what we all are about. We are about the House of the people, the House of Representatives of the Philippines. We are for every Filipino. No more colors, no more politics work,” he added.

Incidentally, the UniTeam tandem of presumptive President Marcos and presumptive Vice President Sara Duterte extensively spoke about casting aside political colors once the May 9 elections are over.

Doing so will pave the way for the country to achieve much-needed unity especially in the face of the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic, the tandem said.

“So when we start with unity, they always say, when there is unity, there is strength. Where there is strength, there is resolve; political will to do the right thing by the Filipino people,” Romualdez said.

“The House of Representatives is the house of the people and we have to serve the people particularly in this time of the pandemic. We hope that we will be reaching the endemic stage but we have to reinvigorate and restart the economy for livelihood, jobs, and of course for the education and health of every Filipino,” Romualdez stressed. By Jester Manalastas