The Future of the U.S.-Philippines Alliance: A Conversation with Martin Romualdez, Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines

About

Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez is Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, a role in which he has served since July 25, 2022. Prior to his election as Speaker, he served as the House Majority Leader in the 18th Congress and Chairman for the House Committee on Rules.

As Majority Floor Leader, Romualdez steered floor debates that produced dozens of laws aimed at reducing poverty and sustaining the country’s momentum for economic growth. These include the Bayanihan 1 and Bayanihan 2, two vital measures that allowed government to respond to the unprecedented health and economic crises brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other laws that he steered into approval include the COVID-19 Vaccination Act of 2021, Malasakit Centers Act, Alternative Learning System Act, Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act or CREATE, Bureau of Fire and Protection Modernization Act, Salary Standardization Act of 2019, and Republic Act No. 11517, which empowers the President to expedite the processing and issuance of national and local permits, licenses and certifications in times of national emergency.

A lawyer from the University of the Philippines, Romualdez is the President of the most prestigious association of defenders of the Philippine Constitution, the PHILCONSA. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York; and holds a Certificate for Special Studies in Administration and Management from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

Prior to his election in the 18th Congress, Romualdez served for three consecutive terms as the Representative of the 1st District of Leyte. He also excelled in his role as fiscalizer, having served as Independent Minority Leader in the 16th Congress.

His stint as Congressman led to the outpouring of massive investment in infrastructure that spurred progress and development not only in Leyte but in the entire Eastern Visayas region. He championed the growth of small businesses and industries as well as the protection of disadvantaged and vulnerable sectors of society, PWDs, senior citizens, the sickly and the poor.

He is also well-respected in the private sector for his exemplary contribution and sterling accomplishments serving in several boards in the business and banking industries. His experience and relationships in the private sector has served him well not only in his legislative work in Congress. He has turned to his own corporate and private network for the invaluable help, support and assistance that flooded into the Yolanda super typhoon stricken areas in Central Visayas.

A champion of local government empowerment for the effective and indiscriminate delivery of basic social services to the public, he advocates for the alleviation of poverty and suffering of Filipinos and truly believes that every Filipino family should enjoy a decent quality of life.

At present, he is also the president of Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD), now the biggest political party in the 19th Congress. He also serves as president of Cornell Club of the Philippines, and president of Manila Golf and Country Club.

He is married to Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez of party-list group Tingog. They have four children.

(Source: Office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez)

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