Oust Romualdez futile, says ally

A coup against Speaker and Leyte 1st District Representative Martin Romualdez is wishful thinking as he has enough votes to keep his post in the 20th Congress, according to Deputy Speaker David “Jay-Jay” Suarez.

Suarez said Romualdez has the support of “more than two-thirds” of the lawmakers, or more than 240 out of 315 House members.

“This is already a supermajority,” Suarez said. “The Speaker has the numbers.” 

He added that as of Saturday, at least 240 members of the House had signed a manifesto of support for Romualdez’s speakership, and that number keeps climbing.

“This is not just about party politics. It’s about unity, output, and trust in the Speaker’s steady hand and principled leadership,” Suarez said.

The majority of political groups, such as the dominant party Lakas-CMD, National Unity Party (NUP), Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), Nacionalista Party (NP), Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), and the Party list Coalition Foundation Inc., have expressed support for Romualdez.

“With this kind of broad support, any attempt to challenge the Speaker’s leadership is simply unrealistic,” the Quezon lawmaker said.

I’m being asked — Tiangco

Although no official public ceremony has been scheduled, Suarez said a full declaration of support for the Speaker is anticipated before the 20th Congress convenes in July.

“The House wants stability and progress, and Speaker Romualdez delivers both,” he said.

Rumors circulated earlier that Romualdez might be challenged for the Speaker’s post, with Navotas City Representative Toby Tiangco considered a “ Speaker candidate.” However, no lawmaker has confirmed this.

Meanwhile, Tiangco expressed “openness” with the lower chsmber’s top post, noting that several officials had approached him.