President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivers his first State of the Nation Address on Monday, July 25, 2022, at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City. Behind the President are newly elected Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and House Speaker Martin Romualdez. Screengrab from RTVM
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Newly elected House Speaker Martin Romualdez of Leyte has assured his constituents that he will try his best to be fair and ensure the 鈥渆quitable distribution of resources鈥� to all regions of the country.
In his speech on Monday, after being elected Speaker during the opening of the House of Representatives鈥� first regular session for the 19th Congress, Romualdez said that the House would ensure that the laws and budget passed for the development plan would include every Filipino family.
He also noted that Congress will not be partisan toward the minority, noting that the House is always composed of these two parts.
鈥淎s your Speaker, I vow to attend to all the concerns of your constituents. I shall try to be as fair as possible and favor no one. There will be fair and equitable distribution of resources for development of our regions, regardless of political affiliation,鈥� he told fellow lawmakers.
鈥淓very Filipino family must be included in any development agenda. No one gets left behind.听 I will keep my office always open, available to all representatives, members of the House for we are the House of the people, majority and minority,鈥� he added.
Romualdez also promised his office would be open to fellow lawmakers鈥� concerns.
鈥淧riority will be given to those willing to share the aspirations of their constituents with me,鈥� he said.
During the 19th Congress Session Monday opening, Romualdez got 283 votes, while four lawmakers abstained and one voted against him.
Twenty-two members failed to vote.
According to Romualdez, the call for unity by his cousin, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., resonates with the House鈥檚 task of crafting laws that would help the country recover.
鈥淲e are confident that with the unity that our President has espoused, we can actually overcome the crippling effects of this pandemic, political differences, or the impacts of the Ukrainian war,鈥� he said. 鈥渉e tasks ahead of us may be seemingly daunting. But our synergy is the seed that will nurture us for the next three years.鈥濃�濃�濃�漞 will work together to ensure that the House of Representatives truly embodies the will of the people. We will work hand-in-hand to ensure the swift passage of House measures that are needed by the people and would support development across all sectors of society and different levels of government. With unity of purpose, there is nothing that we cannot do,鈥濃�漢e added.
The installation of Romualdez as House Speaker has been expected by many observers in Congress, as he earned the support of lawmakers from his own party, Lakas-CMD, and other political groups like the Nationalist PPeople鈥檚Coalition (NPC).
He also got the backing of key officials from the House, like former speakers听Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco听and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
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