Romualdez: Moves to destabilize House should be nipped in the bud

Amid rumors of a supposed plot to oust him, Speaker Martin Romualdez on Sunday said the House of Representatives should focus on more urgent matters and end political destabilization efforts.

“There is still much work to do, so occasional moves to destabilize the House should be nipped in the bud,” Romualdez said in a statement.

“The House cannot be distracted from finding legislative solutions to issues that affect the lives of ordinary Filipinos. Rather than engaging in politicking, I would rather that we, in the House of Representatives, remain focused on more urgent matters,” he added.

The House of Representatives earlier voted to replace former President and Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo with Pampanga Representative Aurelio "Dong" Gonzales Jr. as senior deputy speaker.

Arroyo, who was demoted to deputy speaker, said the move was “the prerogative of the House.” She also denied rumors that she was plotting to oust Romualdez.

Amid these recent developments, Romualdez stressed that the “House of the People is in order,” emphasizing that at least 29 of the 42 bills that comprise the legislative agenda of the Marcos administration were approved on third and final reading under the same level of order.

He also said that the Uniteam needed to keep focusing “on finding immediate solutions to problems of ordinary Filipinos.”

“Ang mga tunay na problema ng karaniwang Pilipino ang dapat nating unahin, ang dapat nating paglaanan ng atensiyon. Isantabi na po ang pamumulitika na wala sa tamang panahon,” he continued.

(We should prioritize and devote our attention to the real problems of the common Filipino. Let’s set aside politics as it is not the right time.)

‘Tambaloslos’

Vice President Sara Duterte on Sunday morning posted a photo of herself with a cryptic caption: “Sa imong ambisyon, do not be tambaloslos.”

Among the Visayans, “tambaloslos” usually refers to a greedy mythical creature that has a large mouth and leads people astray.

Duterte in her selfie was seen donning an Office of the Vice President polo shirt.

On Friday, Duterte announced her irrevocable resignation as member of the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) party, just two days after Arroyo was replaced as senior deputy speaker.

Though she did not mention the reason for her resignation, the Vice President said the Filipino people who trusted her to lead the country could not be poisoned by "political toxicity" or undermined by "execrable political powerplay."

Later that day, Arroyo posted a photo with Duterte on Facebook. The photo was taken at a lunch hosted by businessman Manny V. Pangilinan.

Romualdez and Arroyo are both stalwarts of the Lakas-CMD. Romualdez is the party president, while Arroyo is the chairperson emeritus. — DVM, GMA Integrated News