SPEAKER Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez yesterday officially kicked off his reelection campaign as representative of Leyte’s 1st District with a rousing call for unity among allies and fellow candidates of the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) and a prayer for a clean and victorious campaign season.

“Sa lahat ng kasama nating kandidato sa Lakas-CMD – mga kapartido, kaalyado at kaisa sa serbisyo – panahon na para muling ipakita sa taumbayan ang klase ng lideratong tapat, subok at may puso. Tuloy ang ating serbisyo. May God bless our campaign,” Speaker Romualdez, the President of Lakas-CMD or the country’s dominant majority party in the midterm elections in May, said after meeting his allies in Tacloban City Friday.

Speaker Romualdez, who ran for reelection unopposed, assured his constituents that he will continue to serve Leyte with the same dedication that has defined his years in public service, but with even greater effort and improved programs in the years ahead.

At the same time, he rallied his fellow Lakas-CMD candidates across the country to bring their message of service and performance to every Filipino community, saying their shared mission goes beyond political victory.

“Sa ating kampanya, proven na hindi salita ang puhunan kundi gawa. Mga proyektong ramdam sa bawat barangay, sa bawat pamayanan, sa bawat pamilya,” Speaker Romualdez said.

“Ito ang bunga ng paninindigan at tapat na pamumuno – ‘yung ginagawa ang tama dahil ito ang kailangan ng mga tao,” he said.

Speaker Romualdez also voiced full confidence in the victory of the Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas senatorial ticket and vowed to deliver a solid win for the slate not only in Leyte but throughout Region 8.

“Garantisado po, mananalo sa Leyte at buong Eastern Visayas ang tiket ng Alyansa sa Bagong Pilipinas. Nandito ang suporta ng ating mga kababayan. Buo ang tiwala ng Region 8 sa platapormang pagbabago at pagsusulong ng Bagong Pilipinas,” he said.

Based on data from the Commission on Elections (Comelec), Anna Capella Velasco, Lakas-CMD Executive Director, said a total of 6,118 candidates are running under the dominant party for the 2025 elections.

Capella said these include two senatorial bets (Sen. Ramon “Bong”’Revilla Jr. and House Deputy Majority Leader Erwin Tulfo), 21 candidates for governor, 129 for representative, 29 for vice governor, 37 city mayors, 39 city vice mayors, 432 city councilors, 572 municipal mayors, 518 municipal vice mayors, 4,089 municipal councilors, and 250 board members.

Of this number, Velasco said 1,375 are women and 4,743 are men – proof of Lakas-CMD’s expansive presence and inclusive reach nationwide.

Velasco also emphasized that 27 of the party’s congressional bets are running unopposed, which the Lakas-CMD described as a strong vote of confidence in their performance and connection to the people.

“Napakalawak ng ating hanay, may Lakas-CMD na handang maglingkod. Iisa ang layunin natin: ang ituloy ang magandang nasimulan para sa ating mga kababayan,” Speaker Romualdez said.

“‘Yan ay patunay ng tiwala ng taumbayan sa Lakas CMD. Pero hindi ito dahilan para maging kampante. Mas lalo nating dapat patunayan na karapat-dapat tayo sa tiwalang ibinibigay,” he said.

He urged all Lakas-CMD candidates to focus on clean, positive campaigning and to center their messages on performance and public service, not personality.

“Ang tagumpay ay hindi lang nasusukat sa dami ng boto. Nasusukat ‘yan sa kalidad ng ating paglilingkod pagkatapos ng halalan. Panalo man o hindi, tuloy ang serbisyo,” he said.

Speaker Romualdez offered a prayer for strength, unity and fairness throughout the campaign period, and reminded his allies that their greatest strength is their shared dedication to the people.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Jester P. Manalastas