Speaker Martin Romualdez filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) on Tuesday for another term as representative of Leyte’s first district, his sixth term as member of the House if elected once again.
He filed his COC before lawyer Maria Goretti Canas, acting provincial election supervisor of the Commission on Elections-Leyte in his hometown Tacloban City.
Romualdez, a lawyer from the University of the Philippines (UP), expressed sincere gratitude to the people of Leyte for their continued trust and support throughout his political career.
“The continuous support of our countrymen is my inspiration to continue what we have started. It is a great honor to serve Leyte and the entire country,” said Romualdez, president of the Philippine Constitution Association.
During his filing of his COC, Romualdez was accompanied by other top officials of the province, including Governor Jericho Petilla, Vice Gov. Leonardo Javier, 2nd District Rep. Karen Javier, as well as mayors from the 1st District, including Remedios Petilla (Palo), Lovell Ann Yu-Castro (Alang-alang), Eleonor Lugnasin (Babatngon), Norman Sabdao (San Miguel), Amparo Monteza (Santa Fe), Gina Merilo (Tanauan), and Erwin Ocana (Tolosa).
Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez was represented by Councilor Raymund Romualdez, president of the Liga ng mga Barangay of Tacloban and Region VII.
Among Romualdez’s notable legislative achievements as a lawmaker is the passage of Republic Act 10754, a law that grants persons with disabilities (PWDs) exemption from the value-added tax (VAT) as well as other discounts and benefits during the Aquino administration.
“This is one of the laws that I am proud to have authored because it genuinely helps a sector of Philippine society. We aim to pass more laws like this if we are fortunate enough to get a fresh mandate from the people of Leyte,” Romualdez said.
As Majority Leader of the 18th Congress, Romualdez’s leadership was pivotal during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, where he helped pass urgent laws such as Bayanihan 1 and Bayanihan 2, providing crucial aid to millions of Filipinos affected by the crisis.
“During the pandemic, we worked tirelessly to pass laws that addressed the health and economic challenges brought by COVID-19. Our Bayanihan laws provided much-needed assistance to our people,” Romualdez said.
During his tenure as Speaker of the House, Romualdez oversaw the passage of several landmark laws, among them are the SIM Registration Act, the Maharlika Investment Fund, and the New Agrarian Emancipation Act.
Under his guidance, the 19th Congress passed nearly all the priority measures identified by the Marcos administration during the State of the Nation Address (SONA).
“With the unity of our legislators, we can respond more quickly to the needs of the country,” he said.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “Romualdez files COC for re-election as Leyte representative.”
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