CAVITE Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. lauded Speaker Martin Romualdez for remaining focused on his countless responsibilities as leader of the House of Representatives while he has been at the receiving end of Vice President Sara Duterte’s attacks, saying he has taken the “moral high road.”
Barzaga defended the Speaker, saying Romualdez never said a bad thing about the Vice President despite being the obvious subject of her vicious insinuations following the alleged attempt to oust him.
“The Speaker held his horses and remained focused on his job as the leader of the House of Representatives amid this political rift. He never fired back with insults of his own. That shows strength of character,” said the lawmaker, who chairs the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Barzaga said the support of various political parties for Romualdez’ leadership enabled the House to approve the priority bills of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC), including the proposed Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF).
He said political bickering is the last thing the country needs, especially since Marcos Jr. ran and won on a platform of unity with Duterte, who has already resigned from the ruling Lakas-CMD, of which Romualdez is the President.
The senior lawmaker, a former president of the National Unity Party (NUP), pointed out that Romualdez tremendously helped in pushing for the vice presidential candidacy of Duterte, who was eventually recruited to join Lakas.
Romualdez became close to the Vice President because he was among those who convinced her to run for the post under the UniTeam ticket, which was headed by his cousin, who is now the President.
“The Speaker worked hard for then Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte’s vice presidential bid because he genuinely believed that she would make a difference. Their rift is sad news and I hope that it will be mended soon,” Barzaga said.
Last Monday, the Vice President refused to mention the President’s middle name, Romualdez, in her speech for the Office of the Vice President (OVP)’s thanksgiving event for its partners dubbed Pasidungog (Tribute) at a hotel in Manila.
The President’s mother, former first lady Imelda Romualdez-Marcos, is the aunt of the Speaker.
“Hindi ko na banggitin ang middle initial niya… Mahal ko si apo BBM (I will not mention his middle initial… I love apo BBM),” said the Vice President, who conveyed her love and respect for the President.
At the height of the rumors of the alleged coup against Romualdez last month, Duterte posted a cryptic message on her social media accounts.
“In your ambition, do not be tambaloslos,” Duterte said, without naming the person she was referring to.
Wiktionary defines tambaloslos as “a mythical creature with a large mouth and penis found in Visayan, Bicolano and Mindanao folklore.”
