ROMUALDEZ OUT, BOJIE DY TAKES OATH AS SPEAKER

Isabela Rep. Faustino “Bojie” Dy III officially took over the House speakership on Wednesday, replacing Leyte Rep. Martin Romualldez, who stepped down from his post amid widening controversies surrounding the flood control scandal. 

Dy ascended to the House’s top post after running unopposed. A total of 253 lawmakers voted to install him as the new speaker, while 28 abstained. Four lawmakers did not cast their vote.

Dy took his oath as Speaker before Negros Occidental Rep. Javi Benitez, whose father, Bacolod Rep. Albee Benitez, was also a rumored contender for the House’s top post. 

In his first address to the plenary, Dy issued a stern warning to his colleagues: "No member of the present Congress will serve their personal interests."

He emphasized, “Under my leadership, this House will change. I will not defend the guilty, and I will not shield the corrupt.”

Dy is no ordinary member of Congress. He hails from one of the prominent political families in Isabela, where he also served as governor from 2010 to 2019 and as vice governor from 2019 to 2025 after being term-limited. 

His family has long controlled the province, stretching back to the pre-EDSA.

The family's patriarch, the late Faustino Dy Sr., was also a former governor of Isabela, ruling the province from 1971 to 1986, and again from 1988 to 1992.

Dy first held a congressional seat representing Isabela’s 3rd District from 2001 to 2010 before making a comeback in the present Congress, representing the province’s 6th district. 

Dy succeeded his son, Faustino “Inno” Dy V, who served two terms in Congress. 

Meanwhile, his relatives, Faustino Michael Dy III and Ian Paul Dy, represent the fifth and third districts, respectively, in Congress. 

At present, Dy has authored 25 bills, including one resolution seeking an investigation into the collapse of Cabagan-Sta. Maria Bridge in Isabela collapsed in February 2025. Most of his proposed laws focus on Isabela. 

He is also pushing for the development of the bamboo industry by institutionalizing a council that would ensure that the scientific propagation, processing, utilization, and business development of bamboo would be made a priority through the Philippine Bamboo Industry Development Program.

Addressing the plenary for the last time, Romualdez said his decision to resign was necessary for the independence of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, which was tasked with probing the flood control anomalies “without pressure, without influence, and without fear.”

Dy vowed to ensure that all investigations related to the flood control scheme would be fair and that there would be no sacred cows. (This is a developing story).