SPEAKER Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez on Thursday evening said the House of Representatives remains firm in its commitment to uphold the welfare and rights of Filipino workers.
He made the assurance in his remarks during the 102nd birth anniversary of the founders of the Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) in Quezon City.
“The House of Representatives will always stand with our workers. We will continue to pass laws that protect their rights, ensure decent wages, and make social protection more accessible and more humane,” the House leader told ALU-TUCP members and guests.
He said he was speaking to them “not just as Speaker of the House, but as a friend… as a son of a worker, and as someone who deeply values the dignity of every Filipino who earns an honest living through hard work.”
Speaker Romualdez paid tribute to TUCP founder, lawyer Democrito T. Mendoza, noting that his work shaped the labor movement in the country.
“More than a name in our history books, he was a guiding light to millions of Filipino workers, a father figure to an entire generation of labor advocates. He believed – at a time when it wasn’t easy to do so – that workers deserved not just jobs, but justice. Not just contracts, but compassion,” he said.
According to Speaker Romualdez, the legacy of Mendoza “lives on in ALU-TUCP, and in the men and women who continue to defend the rights of workers with strength, dignity, and heart.”
He also praised the continued legacy of ALU-TUCP, citing its leadership under Deputy Speaker and TUCP Party-list Rep. Raymond Democrito Mendoza.
“Congressman Mendoza has not only upheld that legacy but has also brought it to the halls of Congress with clarity and courage,” he said.
“And let me say this: tonight’s occasion is deeply personal to me as well. Because the founder we honor is also the beloved grandfather of my partner in public service, Congresswoman Yedda Romualdez. So this is more than ceremony. This is family. This is history. This is love for country expressed through service to its working class,” he added.
Speaker Romualdez acknowledged the show of support of several lawmakers who graced the occasion, including Reps. Samantha Santos (3rd District, Cotabato), Jude Acidre (Tingog), Bong Teves (TGP), Elijah San Fernando (Kamangagawa), Antonio Tinio (ACT-Teachers), Renee Co (Kabataan), and Perci Cendaña (Akbayan).
He likewise thanked government officials and personnel from concerned agencies, including DOLE, DMW, SSS, PAG-IBIG, OWWA, NLRC, and local government units, who attended the occasion.
“Our shared commitment to labor is what gives this gathering real meaning. Let us move forward with the same spirit that built this movement – tapang, malasakit, at pagkakaisa,” he said.
