House Speaker Martin Romualdez Files Resolution 94
MARTIN ROMUALDEZ – The House Speaker filed a resolution seeking for watchdogs during the budget talks of the House committee on appropriations.
The members of the House of Representatives are now back to work after the 20th Congress has opened. Romualdez who was poised to remain in his seat as House Speaker after at least 278 members of the chamber reportedly signed a formal support to him managed to remain in the speakership.
In the 20th Congress, House Speaker Martin Romualdez will be in the same chamber with his wife, Tingog party-list Representative Yedda Romualdez, and their son, Andrew Julian Romualdez, who is also one of the representatives of the said party-list.
Recently, House Speaker Martin Romualdez filed his own resolution that seeks for the participation of the civil society as watchdogs during the budget talks of the House committee on appropriations and all its subcommittees. Based on a report on Inquirer, the Speaker filed the House Resolution No. 94.
In the said resolution filed by the House Speaker, the watchdogs and the civil society observers will be non-voting participants during the budget deliberations. The resolution came amid the vow of Romualdez to open the bicameral conference committee deliberations that reconcile the differences between the national budget bill versions of the Senate and the House.
In the upper chamber, Senate Pres. Chiz Escudero managed to remain in the Senate presidency after getting 19 votes. Former Senate Pres. Tito Sotto got only five (5) votes and is now the Senate Minority Leader of the upper chamber.
Based on the report, aside from the part where the differences among the Senate and House versions of the national budget bill is settled, the bicam deliberations is also the part where in last-minute realignments and budget amendments may take place away from public’s eye.
Aside from settling the budget, the House of Representatives is also monitored for its next move over the impeachment case of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte following the decision of the Supreme Court that declared the impeachment articles as “unconstitutional”. House Speaker Martin Romualdez recently asserted the “exclusive” duty of the House to initiate impeachment.