The Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats now have the most members in the House of Representatives as its ranks swelled to 64, after party president and Leyte 1st District Rep. Martin Romualdez administered the party’s oath to four more congressmen, apart from 12 mayors and several other local officials on Tuesday.
With Lakas-CMD chairperson and Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio as witness, Davao City 2nd District Rep. Vincent Garcia, Davao City 3rd District Rep. Isidro Ungab, Davao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Alan Dujali, and Camarines Norte 1st District Rep. Josefina Tallado took their oaths yesterday.
They joined Maguindanao Rep. Dimple Mastura, who earlier joined the party but only formalized her membership Tuesday at the Lakas-CMD headquarters in Manila, Romualdez said in a statement.
Lakas-CMD supported the candidacies of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Duterte-Carpio in the May 9 national elections.
“We await with great expectations opportunities for engaging and bonding with them and the rest of our membership. We hope they will have an enjoyable and fruitful engagement with us,” said Romualdez, a cousin of Marcos Jr.
“[Lakas-CMD] will 100 percent support the legislative and unity agenda of President Bongbong Marcos Jr.,” he added.
Romualdez is poised to become House Speaker once the 19th Congress opens next week, completing the return to power of Lakas-CMD, which has produced two Presidents—Fidel V. Ramos and current Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who is backing the Leyte lawmaker as the new leader.
From a low of 27 members, the party has taken in new members, some from the erstwhile ruling PDP-Laban, which had 52 members in the previous Congress that it ruled with a supermajority coalition but has fractured with the exit of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
As it stands, the supermajority of about 268 House members is comprised of Lakas-CMD, PDP-Laban, the 39-member Nacionalista Party of billionaire tycoon and former Senate President Manny Villar, 34 from the National Unity Party headed by Dasmarinas City Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr., about 60 members of the Party-list Coalition Foundation of Deputy Speaker Mikee Romero, and nine from the opposition Liberal Party.
The Nationalist People’s Coalition, led by former Senate President Tito Sotto and perceived as friendly to the administration, may also reach 50 members in the incoming Congress from a base of 36.
Romualdez also administered the oath to former Surigao Del Norte Governor Francisco Matugas with 12 mayors from the province.
They are Burgos Mayor Angie Arcena, Claver Mayor Georgia Gokiangkee, Dapa Mayor Elizabeth Matugas, Del Carmen Mayor Alfredo Coro II, General Luna Mayor Sol Matugas, Mainit Mayor Crisanta Mondano, Malimono Mayor Wallace Sinaca, Pilar Mayor Maria Liza Resurreccion, San Benito Mayor Gina Menil, San Isidro Mayor Lamberto Domiños Jr., Santa Monica Mayor Arwela Dolar, and Socorro Mayor Reizl Timcang.
“We welcome our new members. We are delighted by their decision to join us. We look forward to a productive engagement with them and the rest of our membership,” said Romualdez, who was re-elected unopposed in Leyte’s first district.
He said Lakas-CMD’s expansion “will strengthen support in Congress for the legislative and unity agenda of President Bongbong Marcos.”