Romualdez, Marcos meet as House leadership shake-up looms
MANILA, Philippines — The House has not been spared from talks on a change in leadership, with House Speaker Martin Romualdez reportedly meeting with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos to discuss his next step.
In less than 30 minutes, the House of Representatives suspended its Tuesday plenary session, tackling not even a single privilege speech.
The Secretary General merely read the title of some filed bills and resolutions on first reading.
Before the session resumed, however, Rep. Kiko Barzaga (Cavite, 4th District) stood before a podium as if ready to deliver a speech. This, he did, amid his persistent criticism and call to replace the speaker, even positioning himself as a contender.
In a Facebook post over the weekend, Barzaga said he had a privilege speech ready for Monday, September 15. However, the plenary also ended quick and he was unable to speak.
RELATED: Party moves on Barzaga for posts deemed offensive, seditious
Apparently, there were barely any lawmakers to attend the session on September 16. At the same time, Romualdez and House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos left the building to head straight to Malacañang to meet with the president, a Philstar.com source said.
This comes as off-cam talks mention Romualdez possibly losing the House speakership to Deputy Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III (Isabela, 6th District), a Politiko report found.
How? Romualdez may be asked to take a leave of absence or resign for another congressman to take charge, one the president would most likely vouch for.
How may the change take place?
Philstar.com’s source pointed out two ways the House may have a new speaker. One, they said, is through the leave of absence under Section 14 of the House rules.
Should Romualdez take a leave, the deputy speakers will have to choose amongst themselves through a majority who will act as House speaker.
However, the decision must be made within a day.
“Should a day lapse without an Acting Speaker having been chosen by a majority of the Deputy Speakers, they shall proceed to choose an Acting Speaker by lot from among themselves,” the rule added.
The other way is for a lawmaker to move to declare the position of speaker vacant — like what Barzaga reportedly planned, according to Deputy Speaker Ronaldo Puno. This, however, has to be seconded. If objected, the plenary would require a majority vote.
Aside from Dy, other names have been floated to assume the speakership. These include Rep. Duke Frasco (Cebu, 5th District), Rep. Toby Tiangco (Navotas, Lone District) and Rep. Albee Benitez (Bacolod, Lone District) — names mentioned prior to the 20th Congress convening.
Confirmed talks. Tiangco also confirmed there have been dialogues within the lower chamber of unseating Romualdez. He said Benitez asked him one Saturday if he would reconsider becoming speaker.
“Basta sinabi ko na sa lahat ng kumakausap sa akin, ‘wag niyo na ako isama sa listahan. Nag-decline na ako. The previous Saturday pa lang, nung tinawagan ako ni Albee, sabi ko ‘wag na, siya na,” he said in an ambush interview.
It would look bad on him, he said, if he suddenly decided to run for speaker, since he is one of “the most vocal” in the alleged corruption in flood control projects tied to lawmakers.
Tiangco also said that the "most important vote" does not come from the chamber itself but from the executive. He wouldn't act upon anything out of respect for the president.
Before the 20th Congress convened, Tiangco once said he was willing to run for speaker if anyone nominated him. However, Romualdez won unopposed with 269 votes and 34 abstentions.
Another shake-up
Congress has been abuzz with shake-ups as the 2025 budget faces intense scrutiny over alleged insertions purportedly backed by Romualdez and Rep. Elizaldy Co (Ako Bicol Party-list).
With claims that several lawmakers pocketed kickbacks from flood control projects, calls have grown for Romualdez to resign or face a leadership coup.
This, however, mostly began when Vice President Sara Duterte's offices were heavily criticized and investigated during the 2024 budget hearings, triggering her impeachment, which was voted upon by more than one-third of the House.
The cracks in the Marcos-Duterte rift became clearer when Duterte began accusing Romualdez of controlling the budget.
Amid the uncertainty, support for Romualdez has also been circulating. One of the manifestos of support came from representatives of the Negros Island Region, signed by all district lawmakers except for Albee's son, Rep. Javi Benitez (Negros Occidental, 3rd District).
Marcos, who has launched an “independent” probe into the projects, said Romualdez will not be spared from the investigation.
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