‘Somebody has to tell Romualdez that the campaign and the elections are over, and naming such a bill as BBM isolates the crowd who voted for his rivals.’
THE House of Representative will have new leaders when it convenes on July 25 for the opening of the 19th Congress. The new speaker of the House will most likely be Rep. Martin Romualdez of Leyte, first cousin of presumptive president Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
To be fair, Congressman Romualdez who was majority floor leader in the current House is very much qualified and has been prepared for the speakership even when it was yet being contested by Speaker Allan Peter Cayetano and Rep. Lord Allan Velasco. We remember Cayetano saying then that in a fair election, Velasco cannot hold a candle to the popular and charismatic Martin Romualdez who then had more supporters in the House than the congressman from Marinduque, or so Cayetano thought. It was President Duterte, playing the role of a mediator, who dissuaded Romualdez from throwing his hat in the speakership contest, with the promise that he will have the President’s support should he decide to run for vice president later. As in many Duterte promises, this was unfulfilled.
Romualdez has received the backing of former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Velasco, several political parties and a group of party-list representatives — although the opening of Congress is still two months away. It is to be expected that the Leyte lawmaker is already discussing with other incoming members of the House about what they intend to do, by way of legislation, during the early months of the Marcos administration.
Rep. Romualdez said several barangay chairpersons from the Liga ng mga Barangay asked for the postponement of barangay polls which are scheduled to be held in December. He is considering this suggestion, because a postponement would mean savings of P8.141 billion which can be used for more productive activities such as fighting the pandemic, giving cash aid, economic stimulus and helping small and medium business enterprises.
The future Speaker told reporters last week that his priority agenda includes passing a stimulus package called “Bayan Bangon Muli bill.”
He said this proposed measure will “allow the incoming president to harness the resources available to him during this closing period of 2022 and address the measures that are needed for the pandemic” and “to harness whatever remaining resources to stimulate the economy and to reinvigorate it for the better of all.”
The idea of including an economic stimulus package in the House’s priority agenda is welcome, but for its name. Here we go again — Bayan Bangon Muli is Bongbong’s ubiquitous initials, BBM.
Somebody has to tell Romualdez that the campaign and the elections are over, and naming such a bill as BBM isolates the crowd who voted for his rivals. This is starting on the wrong foot in the march to genuine national unity which Bongbong Marcos has repeatedly promised.
