SUPERMAJORITY support for Majority Leader and Leyte 1st District Representative Martin Romualdez as Speaker is shaping up in the House of Representatives.

On Sunday, Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) Secretary General and former Batangas Rep. Mark Llandro Mendoza, Rizal Rep. Jack Duavit and Quezon Rep. Mark Enverga presented to Romualdez the party’s manifesto of endorsement for the House Majority Leader as Speaker of the 19th Congress during a luncheon meeting Sunday in Makati City.

Mendoza is the Secretary General of the House of Representatives. NPC has 39 members.

“I extend my heartfelt gratitude to all Members of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) party 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,” Romualdez added.

Fully cognizant of the intricacies of the legislative process, the NPC said Romualdez, Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) President “will definitely bring the House of Representatives to new and greater heights under a common goal of unity towards economic and moral recovery, social justice and the rule of law. In view thereof, we conclusively support Honorable Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez as the SPEAKER of the 19th Congress of the House of Representatives.”

“We, the members of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) party of the 19th Congress of the Philippines, express our full support to Honorable Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, Representative of the 1st District of Leyte, as the new SPEAKER of the House of Representatives,” the NPC said.

“We firmly believe that Hon. Romualdez has the experience and aptitude that will effectively unify the House of Representatives in the passage of important and crucial legislative reforms for the country and the Filipino people under the administration of His Excellency, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr.,” the NPC added.

Several political parties represented in the larger chamber of the legislature have committed to vote for Romualdez, who represents the first district of Leyte, as their Speaker.

On Saturday, there was an avalanche of support for Romualdez coming from members of the Party-list Coalition Foundation, Inc. (PCFI), independents, PDP-Laban, Nacionalista Party (NP), Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP), Liberal Party (LP), and Lakas-CMD.

Another group of supporters, led by incoming Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos, son of presumptive President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., is composed of neophyte congressmen.

The 34-member-strong National Unity Party (NUP) was the first group to announce its endorsement of the incumbent majority leader for the speakership.

The outgoing administration party PDP-Laban counts on 62 lawmaker-members, NP, 39; Lakas-CMD, 29; and LP, 9.

Party-list groups are entitled to at least 60 seats in the House.

Political parties in the House started gravitating toward Romualdez after presumptive President Bongbong Marcos made known his preference for the Leyte lawmaker to be the next Speaker on Friday night, when the incoming Chief Executive hosted a thanksgiving dinner for his supporters and campaign staff.

The incoming President’s remarks staved off the traditional jockeying and squabble for the top House post among followers of an incoming administration.

Former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, returning representative of Pampanga’s second district, announced her support for Romualdez, and urged her Lakas-CMD party mates to do likewise.
Arroyo is Lakas-CMD President Emeritus, while Romualdez is the party president and presumptive Vice President Sara Duterte is the chairperson.

With almost every major political party in the House backing the Leyte lawmaker, he is on the way to receiving the widest backing a Speaker has enjoyed from his colleagues in the recent history of Congress.

Romualdez has thanked his colleagues for their overwhelming support.

He has promised to push for the unity agenda of the incoming Marcos administration. By Ryan Ponce Pacpaco & Jester Manalastas