"Known as a team player, Romualdez has shown an uncanny ability to forge close personal and working relationships with the senior members of the Lower Chamber."
"Known as a team player, Romualdez has shown an uncanny ability to forge close personal and working relationships with the senior members of the Lower Chamber."As the 2019 midterm elections enters the country’s contemporary history as a generally peaceful political exercise characterized by the overwhelming dominance of the Duterte administration’s chosen candidates at both the national and local levels, public attention is now focused on who would hold the mantle of leadership at the House of Representatives from July 1st onward.
At this point, three names are among the leading contenders for the post to be vacated by former President and outgoing Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The three potential candidates are former Senator and Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, former Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, and Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco. All three are lawyers, and highly qualified to lead the lawmaking function of the Lower House of Congress until 2022.
The choice of House leader is significant as the nearly 300-strong House membership is expected to deliberate on key components of the Duterte administration’s legislative agenda. Hence, the success or failure of the administration’s economic, political and social reforms hinges on how well the lawmakers are able to agree on what to do in the next three years.
The choice of House leader is crucial particularly in light of the acrimonious debate between leaders of the House and the Senate, on the one hand, and between a key member of the Duterte Cabinet and a leading member of the House, on the other, that led to delay in the passage of the 2019 national budget. With a reenacted budget from last year that affected the timely disbursement of funds especially for vital Build, Build, Build infrastructure projects, the delay proved disastrous for the economy as we failed to achieve the first quarter growth target. Our economic managers projected a quarterly growth rate of 6.6 percent, but the reenacted budget brought this down to a measly 5.6 percent.
It should be pointed out that all three potential Speakership candidates have close ties to the Executive branch. Cayetano ran as Duterte’s vice presidential bet; Romualdez is a close ally of President Duterte, Davao Mayor Sara Duterte, and former Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go; and Velasco has shown unswerving loyalty to Malacañang.
But the President would do well to choose Romualdez as House Speaker. For one thing, Cayetano harbors presidential ambitions, and he would certainly exert every effort to shore up his image instead of steering the passage of priority legislation. Cayetano seems to forget that no House Speaker ever succeeded in winning the presidency.
Velasco’s youth may work in his favor, but his experience in legislative work pales in comparison with those of his older colleagues. Can he get the cooperation and support of more experienced legislators behind his pet bills? I don’t think so.
On the other hand, Martin Romualdez vies for the prestigious House leadership with solid academic credentials. He holds degrees from Cornell University in the United States and from the University of the Philippines College of Law. His curriculum vitae lists down many years of experience in both the public and private sectors. Not many know, of course, that Romualdez also headed the Philippine Constitution Association, or Philconsa, an institution that upholds the sanctity of the rule of law and firm adherence to constitutional processes.
More than this, Romualdez has shown an uncanny ability to forge close personal and working relationships with the senior members of the Lower Chamber. He is also known for being a team player, with former House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. citing him for being a conscientious House member who helped the Majority in passing important pieces of legislation. That he has earned the respect of other lawmakers because of his ability to reconcile conflicting viewpoints and to work with other legislators from the opposite side of the political fence would be another plus in his favor. This is of crucial importance since the next three years would most likely witness intense jockeying for positions among legislators who want to either keep themselves in power or want to aspire for higher political office in 2022.
If the majority of those who won in the midterm polls have indicated their preference for Romualdez as House Speaker and are willing to cross party lines to see to it that he takes over as the fourth highest official in the country, it is a testament to his firm hand and wealth of experience in public office over the years.
The question uppermost in the minds of the direct representatives of the people in the legislature is: Who can best lead the institution in this crucial junction in our contemporary political history?
From where we sit, the choice is clear: Romualdez is the best choice for the job, and given the mandate by his colleagues, he is certain to lead the House in the correct path.
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