TWENTY-THREE members of the House of Representatives in the incoming 19th Congress have left their political parties to join the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) which helped bring victory to the UniTeam tandem of now President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his running mate Vice President-elect Sara Duterte-Carpio.
The 23 new members have increased the strength of Lakas-CMD at the House to 50, a number which is expected to grow further as its president, outgoing majority leader Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, is set to take the helm of the chamber which has at least 300 members.
Party-switching or joining the party of the new president is a common practice in Philippine politics.
In 2016, the victory of then Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte in the presidential elections caused the migration of politicians to the PDP-Laban party which carried Duterte’s candidacy. The following year, the PDP-Laban had at least 120 members at the House.
Lakas-CMD’s deputy secretary general, Zamboanga Sibugay Rep. Wilter “Sharky” Palma II, said the emerging ruling party expects members of the incoming House to gravitate towards it since it was at the forefront of the campaign that led to the landslide victory of the Marcos-Duterte tandem.
Palma said even the President-elect himself has acknowledged Lakas-CMD’s contribution to the success of the campaign, in a thanksgiving dinner he hosted for his campaign staff and supporters last month:
It was also under Lakas-CMD that Duterte-Carpio filed her candidacy for vice president as the presidential daughter is close to former president and former speaker Gloria Arroyo, Lakas-CMD’s president emeritus.
Romualdez yesterday administered the oath to the new party members at Lakas-CMD headquarters in Mandaluyong City.
“We are elated that our colleagues chose to be with us in Lakas-CMD. We look forward to having a fruitful engagement with them and sharing the values and advocacies we have followed and pursued as one of the biggest political parties in the country,” said Romualdez, a first cousin of Marcos Jr.
Romualdez said the decision of lawmakers-elect to join Lakas-CMD would strengthen support in the House for the legislative agenda of the incoming administration.
The new Lakas-CMD members are David C. Suarez (Quezon), Patrick Michael D. Vargas (Quezon City), Dean Asistio (Caloocan City), Faustino Dy V (Isabela), Marlyn B. Alonte (Laguna), Emmarie M. Ouano-Dizon (Cebu), Cheeno D. Almario (Davao Oriental), Francisco Jose F. Matugas II (Surigao del Norte), Samier A. Tan (Sulu), Jurdin Jesus M. Romualdo (Camiguin), Dimple Mastura (Maguindanao), Christopherson Yap (Southern Leyte), Irwin Tieng (Manila), Midy Cua (Quirino), Ernix Dionisio (Manila), Edsel Galeos (Cebu), Jinky Bitrics Luistro (Batangas), Arnan C. Panaligan (Oriental Mindoro), Doris E. Maniquiz (Zambales), Joseph Tan (Isabela), Faustino Michael Carlos T. Dy III (Isabela), Jojo Lara (Cagayan) and Steve Solon (Sarangani).
Those who physically took their oath before Romualdez were Vargas, Dionisio, Tieng, Asistio, Tan, Inno Dy, Cua, Maniquiz, Yap, Romualdo, Almario, and Tan while other lawmakers signed their oath of membership.
Camiguin Governor-elect Xavier Jesus Romualdo, incoming Santiago City, Isabela Mayor Alyssa Sheena P. Tan, and Zamboanga City Mayor John M. Dalipe also joined the Lakas-CMD’s physical oath-taking.
