AS expected, Senate President Francis Escudero and First District Rep. Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez were reelected as Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives of the 20th Congress.
Escudero retained his post, securing 19 votes after Senator Joel Villanueva nominated him to lead the 24-member chamber for another term.
Returning Senator Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto went unsuccessful in challenging Escudero for the position, securing the minority leadership instead with Senators Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson, Risa Hontiveros, Juan Miguel ‘Migz’ Zubiri, and Loren Legarda.
“We are here to serve our people, guided by our conscience, driven by our conviction, and emboldened by courage,” Escudero said during his speech.
Escudero called on senators to rise above political divisions and work toward common goals such as lowering living costs, improving healthcare and education, creating jobs, and strengthening the country’s infrastructure and legal framework.
Romualdez, on the other hand, secured a second back-to-back term with overwhelming support from the chamber’s supermajority coalition upon Monday’s opening of the 20th Congress.
Meanwhile, 4Ps party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan was installed as Minority Leader of the House. Libanan received the unanimous support of 29 other minority members during a caucus held on Monday, officially securing the leadership of the 30-strong bloc.
Libanan also served as House Minority Leader in the 19th Congress.
In another development, Davao City congressmen Paolo Duterte, Omar Duterte, and Isidro Ungab, and Pwersa ng Pilipinong Pandaragat (PPP) party-list Rep. Harold Duterte, declared themselves independent members of the House after abstaining from the Speaker election, choosing to remain unaffiliated with either the majority or minority blocs.
This marks the second straight time that Romualdez clinched the top post without a challenger in what was viewed as a clear show of unity and confidence in his leadership.
Romualdez, who also served as Speaker in the 19th Congress, reclaimed the top House post with a landslide vote of confidence from lawmakers, reaffirming his leadership as the chamber’s presiding officer and legislative strategist under the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
Romualdez received a total of 269 votes for the speakership.
In the presence of his family led by his wife, Tingog party-list Yedda Romualdez, Romualdez took his oath before Bulacan Rep. Salvador Aquino Pleyto Sr.
House Secretary General Reginald Velasco, the presiding officer of the session, named Iloilo Rep. Lorenz Defensor as acting floor leader to ensure an orderly proceedings.
His unopposed nomination was formally delivered by Quezon’s Second District Rep. David Suarez, a stalwart of the ruling Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD).
Suarez hailed Romualdez’s transformative leadership in the previous Congress, crediting him for turning the House into “a true House of the People — responsive to the needs of the nation, attuned to the voice of the common Filipino, and anchored in the values of unity, service and progress.”
“Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez is not only a public servant of experience and stature — he is a leader of empathy, integrity and conviction—a unifier, a reformer, a partner of the President, and a champion of the people,” Suarez said.
“Let us entrust the Speakership to a man who has already shown us what dignified, decisive and compassionate leadership looks like. Let us reaffirm our commitment to good governance by placing the gavel once more in capable, steady hands,” he added.
Romualdez’s nomination was swiftly seconded by key leaders representing the country’s largest political parties, signalling broad consensus across party lines.
Presidential son and Ilocos Norte First District Rep. Ferdinand Alexander Marcos seconded the nomination on behalf of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), the President’s party.
Quezon First District Rep. Mark Enverga seconded the nomination on behalf of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), Antipolo First District Rep. Ronaldo V. Puno for the National Unity Party (NUP), and Misamis Oriental Second District Rep. Yevgeny Vincente Emano for the Nacionalista Party (NP).
Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) Party-list Rep. Raymond Democrito Mendoza of the Party-list Coalition Foundation Inc. likewise expressed full support for Romualdez’s continued speakership, cementing backing from party-list representatives who comprise a significant voting bloc in the chamber.
Romualdez’s reelection marks the continuity of leadership that oversaw one of the most productive legislative terms in recent memory.
During the 19th Congress, the House passed a series of priority measures aligned with the Bagong Pilipinas agenda, including 61 out of 64 priority measures outlined by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC); strengthened executive-legislative coordination, and earned public trust through transparency, responsiveness and inclusive governance.
The trust rating of Speaker Romualdez rose from 26 percent to 34 percent based on the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey. Public trust in the House of Representatives also climbed from 34% in April to 49 percent in May, and reached 57 percent in June.
According to Suarez, Romualdez “brought not just experience, but character — marked by quiet strength, strategic foresight, and unwavering commitment to public service.”
“With clarity of vision and steadiness of hand, he championed landmark reforms, strengthened legislative–executive cooperation, and ensured that every voice, regardless of affiliation or region, found space in our national conversation,” Suarez said.
He also cited Speaker Romualdez’s track record during the previous Congress, describing it as “one of the most productive and purposeful legislative terms in recent memory.”
“We passed priority measures that advanced the goals of Bagong Pilipinas, empowered communities, and created pathways for inclusive and sustainable growth,” Suarez said. “But more than numbers or laws, he gave us direction — and he gave the public something more important than power: trust.”
That trust, Suarez stressed, was “earned through hard work, transparency, and a kind of leadership that listens more than it speaks, delivers more than it promises, and unites more than it divides.”
The four lawmakers announced their decision to forge an independent path in the Lower House, emphasizing their commitment to principled governance beyond traditional partisan alignments.
“A House member who chooses not to join the majority or minority can be considered an independent member of the House,” explained Rep. Paolo Duterte, outlining the group’s position.
Rep. Isidro Ungab cited historical precedent for their decision, noting that “there are historical precedents in the Philippine Congress, U.S. Congress, and even the British Parliament where members have chosen to remain independent rather than align with either the majority or minority.”
Both Rep. Omar Duterte and Rep. Harold Duterte emphasized that their decision reflects a dedication to serving their constituents without partisan constraints. “Our choice to become independent members demonstrates our commitment to principled governance and our intent to serve our country and constituents free from partisan considerations,” they stated.
The move marks a notable departure from traditional congressional alignments and could signal a shift in how some legislators approach their roles in Congress.
