SPEAKER Martin Romualdez respects the decision of Cebu Rep. Vincent Franco Duke Frasco not to sign the National Unity Party’s (NUP) manifesto of support for his continued leadership in the 20th Congress, saying House members are free to choose their preferred candidates for speaker, the spokesman of the House of Representatives said yesterday.
“Sa Kamara, malinaw ang prinsipyo: ang suporta ay hindi ipinipilit. Ito ay kusang-loob na desisyon ng bawat kinatawan—at iyan ay iginagalang ng ating liderato (In the House, the principle is clear: support is not forced. It’s a personal decision of every representative and our leadership respects that),” said Princess Abante.
Abante, a daughter of outgoing Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr., issued the statement after the NUP expelled Frasco, a deputy speaker, as a member of the party for going against the party’s official position to support Romualdez’s bid to be retained as the leader of the lower house next Congress.
“The party leadership has decided to expel Duke (Frasco) from the NUP because his unilateral decision not to support Rep. Martin’s continued stay as Speaker in the next Congress is a blatant breach of the NUP’s official position of unequivocal support for the Speaker to keep his premier post in the next Congress,” Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte said in a statement last Saturday.
Villafuerte has said that it has been “a long-standing policy of the NUP for all of us to speak and act as one.”
He said that “going to the media to publicly oppose our party position, especially without prior consultation with any of our party officers, is punishable with expulsion from the NUP.”
The NUP, the second largest political party in Congress, has formally declared its support for Romualdez, saying “it is crucial for Speaker Martin to remain at the helm of the bigger chamber to continue shepherding the passage of the priority bills of this administration meant to spell high, inclusive and sustainable growth.”
Abante said that as of Saturday, 285 lawmakers remain committed in endorsing Romualdez to lead the 20th Congress.
She said lawmakers from across the country — including those from Central Visayas — reaffirmed their support for Romualdez’s continued leadership amid rumors that some congressmen may challenge him.
Navotas Rep. Tobias Tiangco earlier said he would only challenge Romualdez in the speakership race if it will help President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and if his colleagues will support him.
Abante said Central Visayas lawmakers who recently met with the Speaker are Cebu Reps. Emmarie Ouano-Dizon, Rhea Mae Gullas, Eduardo Rama Jr., Edsel Galeos, Bohol Reps. Maria Vanessa Aumentado and Kristine Alexie Tutor, Siquijor Rep. Zaldy Villa, and Representative-elect Junard Chan of Lapu-Lapu City.
The lawmakers, she said, did not only discuss regional concerns “but also the collective commitment of these lawmakers to the Bagong Pilipinas agenda of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and to the continuity of leadership needed to push it forward.”
“Tahimik man ang pulong, malinaw ang mensahe: pagtibayin ang pagtutulungan upang mas mapabilis ang serbisyo sa mamamayan (The meeting was low-key but the message was clear: strengthen cooperation to expedite service to the people),” she said.
Abante said the House leadership remains focused on delivering results amid the political noise, which, she stressed, does not distract Romualdez who has committed to remain focused on “public service, performance, and public welfare.”
“Kaya sa halip na tumuon sa ingay, mas pipiliin ng ating lider na si Speaker Romualdez na manindigan sa katahimikan ng tunay na paglilingkod (That’s why instead of responding to the noise, our leader Speaker Romualdez would rather stand firm on the side of silence of true service),” she said. “Hindi mahalaga kung sino ang hindi pumirma. Mas mahalaga kung sino ang patuloy na naglilingkod (The identities of those who signed the manifesto do not matter. What matters is who are continuously serving).”
