Solon tells VP to be true to call for unity
WHATEVER happened to unity?
An administration lawmaker yesterday appealed to Vice President Sara Duterte to adhere to the Marcos administration’s call for national unity by putting an end to her political rift with Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Laguna Rep. Dan Fernandez said while he welcomed Duterte’s assurance that the administration has her “all-out” support, this “can be better fleshed out if it is devoid of political bickerings.”
“We appeal to Vice President Inday Sara, who ran and won on a platform espousing unity, to join the President in translating this call for unity into action,” said Fernandez, a member of the National Unity Party and chair of the House committee on public order and safety.
President Marcos Jr. ran and won on a platform of unity with Duterte who has resigned from the ruling Lakas-CMD, of which Romualdez is president and deputy speaker Gloria Arroyo is chairman emeritus.
Arroyo’s demotion followed the House leadership’s move to strip Arroyo of the title senior deputy speaker for allegedly attempting to oust Romualdez.
The Vice President is a known ally of Arroyo, who managed to pull off a coup in the 18th Congress against then-Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, with the help of Duterte, who was then Davao City mayor and presidential daughter.
Fernandez said the Vice President was correct when she recently said that she was looking forward to continued unity, “that we will be able to empower more Filipinos, especially those whose lives have been chronically cornered by the violence of poverty.”
“We can achieve these goals, which we all want for our people, if we do away with political bickerings. We should instead work together and keep a laser focus on what needs to be done to ensure a vibrant and prosperous future for all Filipinos,” Fernandez said.
The Speaker, who was one of Sara Duterte’s campaign managers in the 2022 national elections, said his leadership “will not allow any distraction to derail our efforts at finding appropriate and timely solutions to the problems affecting the lives of our people.”
“The comprehensive and inclusive economic agenda of the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., as well as the collaborative efforts between the Executive and Legislative branches, have proven fruitful in fostering an environment conducive to growth,” he said in a statement.
Romualdez welcomed the latest World Bank forecast indicating the Philippine economy is poised to expand faster than expected this year, citing the united effort of the Executive and Legislative branches of the government as a major contributing factor to the country’s strong economic performance.
The Speaker issued the statement after the Vice President on Wednesday refuted the claim of Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr.’s that Romualdez was among those who tried to convince her to seek the vice presidency.
Duterte said Romualdez “had absolutely nothing to do with my decision to run for vice president” and it was the sister of President Marcos Jr., Sen. Imee Marcos, “who eventually persuaded me to run as vice president, and it was a decision sealed only after President Bongbong Marcos agreed to the conditions I set before running for VP.”
“There was no Speaker Romualdez in the picture. Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. was obviously badly informed or made to believe a lie,” she also said.
Last month, Duterte posted a cryptic message on her social media accounts, that was interpreted to have been directed at Romualdez. She said, “In your ambition, do not be tambaloslos.”
“Tambaloslos” refers to a mythical creature with a large mouth and penis. The Visayan term is used to insult inept or foolish men.
Surigao del Norte Rep. Johnny Pimentel, a member of the former ruling PDP-Laban, former President Rodrigo Duterte’s party, said a political exercise done to ensure that the House “continues to work smoothly and in sync with the legislative agenda of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. should not be misconstrued for anything else.”
“Tensions have already been defused following the leadership movements in the House. Let us not exaggerate this anymore,” he said. “We have so much work to do in Congress to be able to fulfill the President’s agenda of economic renewal and prosperity for all Filipinos. As noted by the Vice President, political disagreements stand as part and parcel of the democratic process.”
PARTISANSHIP
Majority leader Manuel Jose Dalipe today said the House will stay the course in its commitment to pass the administration’s priority measures and will “ignore all forms of distractions that will only slow them down in fulfilling their mandate.”
“The House of Representatives will not be slowed down by premature partisanship. All these political rumblings are unnecessary distractions that will only brake our momentum in ensuring the swift passage of President Marcos’ priority measures and those that were approved by LEDAC. We have a commitment to the Filipino people that we will do even better on this second regular session,” he said.
Dalipe said the House is already in the thick of preparations for the President’s second State of the Nation Address next month and in setting the legislative direction of the House in the Second Regular Session of the 19th Congress.
He noted that under Romualdez’ leadership, the House has so far approved 33 of the 42 legislative priorities of the Executive and also processed a total of 9,600 bills and resolutions.
Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales of Pampanga said Romualdez “has created an atmosphere of certainty and trust.”
“His strong, compassionate leadership brought all of us together to work on a single vision: to pass measures focused on achieving a prosperous, inclusive and resilient Philippines,” he said. “Our record speaks for itself. We are comprehensively addressing the everyday issues our people face: from the high cost of commodities, to unemployment and other economic challenges. We are focused on matters that are important to our people and to the Marcos administration.”
