MAJORITY members of the House of Representatives are expected to vote for Leyte Representative Martin Romualdez as Speaker of the 19th Congress.

In separate statements, Pampanga Rep. Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales and Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said Romualdez deserves to lead the Chamber because of his ‘unity message” not just to members of the Congress but also to all Filipinos.

The First Regular Session of the 19th Congress is set to begin, today, June 25 before the first State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

“We will elect him as our Speaker. He has the full support of our party, PDP-Laban, and almost all political groups in the House led by his own Lakas-CMD, which he heads as president,” Gonzales, a former Deputy Speaker during 18th Congress, said.

“He was in the running for the speakership in 2019 but settled for the position of majority leader to promote camaraderie and unity in the House. He politely and patiently waited for his time to become Speaker while doing his job well. Forbearance and the capacity for self-sacrifice are his virtues. And the time has now come for him to be our leader,” he added.

According to Gonzales, Romualdez honed his skills as a politician and parliamentarian through years of experience.

“Those skills will come in handy as our new Speaker shepherds the House in support of the legislative and unity agenda of President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr.,” the solon from Pampanga stressed.

Aside from electing its new Speaker on its first day of session, the House is expected to vote for its other officers, including some deputy speakers and committee chairmen, and the chamber’s secretary general and sergeant-at-arms.

Meanwhile, Reginald Velasco, who served as deputy secretary general and spokesman of National Unity Party, would most likely be elected as House secretary general.

For his part, Barbers commended Romualdez for his sterling performance record as House Majority Leader under the leaderships of both former Speakers Alan Peter Cayetano and Lord Alan Velasco.

For Barbers, Romualdez is known as a consensus- builder who helped stabilize political turmoil among members of the august chamber during the reported Velasco-Cayetano speakership rift in October 2020.

“He was also credited for steering the House minority and majority members in the passage of crucial pieces of legislation such as the Bayanihan 1 and 2 to help alleviate economically the welfare of Filipinos badly affected by the Covid 19 pandemic,” Barbers said.

Romualdez, he said, is an amiable House leader who always consults and listen to his colleagues, always possess positive outlook, pushing harmony among members of the opposition block, and thereby gaining or earning trust and respect from the majority of his fellow lawmakers

Barbers, whose family also has kins from Ilocos Sur, said the solon from Leyte chaired the Defeat COVID-19 Ad-Hoc Committee which worked overtime to meet and consult stakeholders and formulate policies aimed at mitigating the ill-effects of the Covid 19 pandemic.

“His (Romualdez) unity message as desired by President Marcos would be a great asset and support to the 19th Congress as well as to the visions and aspirations of the Marcos administration,” he said.