FIFTY-EIGHT out of the 63 party-list congressmen who are members of the 20th Congress have committed to support the reelection bid of Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez as Speaker of the House of Representatives, a returning lawmaker yesterday said.
Rep. Alfredo Garbin (PL, Ako Bicol) said the 58 party-list lawmakers “are supportive of the Speaker and intend to join the Party-List Coalition Foundation, Inc. (PCFI).”
“We are still waiting for the others to submit their application, but during the orientation and get-together, they were present and already signified that they belong to the coalition,” Garbin told reporters.
The PCFI is one of the biggest blocs in the supermajority coalition, which is composed of other administration parties like the ruling Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats, the National Unity Party, the Nacionalista Party, Nationalist People’s Coalition and others.
There appears to be no serious contenders against Romualdez in the incoming 20th Congress after 283 out of the 287 congressmen from different political parties signed a manifesto of support calling for his retention as House leader.
The Speaker of the 20th Congress will be elected when session opens on July 28, the same day that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is set to deliver his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA).
Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco, who was the campaign manager of the administration’s senatorial slate “Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas,” has said he would only be open to challenging the Speaker’s post if President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his House colleagues will give him their blessing.
Cebu Rep. Duke Frasco, who has denied that he was joining the speakership race, earlier said he would prefer either Tiangco or Negros Occidental Rep. Albee Benitez to be the next leader of the lower chamber.
