Visayan bloc backs Romualdez amid House coup rumors

The 51-strong Visayan bloc in the House of Representatives on Monday issued threw their support behind Speaker Martin Romualdez amid reports of an ouster plot against him.

"Members of the Visayan Bloc express full support for Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, a distinguished son of the Visayas and who has always been a strong champion of development in the Visayas," the bloc said in a statement.

The group described Romualdez as a "paragon of public service" who demonstrated "effective leadership through competence, diligence and good will."

"We will continue to work with him to deliver on the President’s priority legislative agenda and uplift the lives of Filipinos," the bloc said.

Rumors of an alleged plot to oust Romualdez as speaker started when former President and Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was replaced as senior deputy speaker by Pampanga Representative Aurelio Gonzales on May 17.

Arroyo, who was relegated to the position of deputy speaker, has denied involvement in the alleged moves to unseat Romualdez, saying the speakership is not a part of her political agenda.

Political parties PDP-Laban, Nacionalista party, Nationalist People’s Coalition, National Unity Party and the Party-list Coalition have earlier expressed support to Romualdez's speakership.

Amid the controversy involving House leaders, Vice President Sara Duterte resigned as chairperson of the ruling party Lakas-CMD party where Romualdez sits as party president.

Duterte ran for the vice presidency in the 2022 polls as Lakas-CMD member.

Arroyo, on the other hand, remains Lakas-CMD’s chairman emeritus and is one of the 71 Lakas-CMD members in the House of Representatives.

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., meanwhile, earlier said the change in House leadership involving Arroyo was just a normal reorganization process. Marcos is Romualdez's cousin.

In a statement on Sunday, Romualdez said efforts to destabilize the House "should be nipped in the bud" because "the House cannot be distracted from finding legislative solutions to issues that affect the lives of ordinary Filipinos."  —Llanesca T. Panti/KBK, GMA Integrated News