Leaders of the House of Representatives met for the first time Friday afternoon following the 2025 midterm elections to begin internal discussions on administrative arrangements and continuity mechanisms as the 19th Congress winds down and the 20th Congress opens on July 1.
Held at the Shangri-La Hotel in Makati City, the meeting brought together present senior leaders and key figures in the House leadership to map out the path forward for the new Congress, with an emphasis on legislative continuity and support for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s governance agenda.
For her part, Vice President Sara Duterte said she has asked her brother, Davao City Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte to vie for the Speakership.
Should he not get the position, the Vice President said her elder brother should gun for the minority bloc leadership.
“I told Cong. Pulong, maybe you want to vie for Speaker. He did not reply. Perhaps he is also weighing his chances if he can win,” she said in an interview after a thanksgiving mass in Davao City yesterday.
“I also told him, if you don’t win, then get the minority. Again, he did not answer. Maybe he is thinking about it? All he said was I should not go out seeking a fight because I just came from church,” the Vice President added.
But for Deputy Speaker David Suarez of Quezon province, the question of House leadership in the incoming 20th Congress is already settled, with Speaker Martin Romualdez enjoying the support of at least 240 lawmakers or more than two-thirds of 315 elected lawmakers.
“This is already a supermajority,” said Suarez, Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats treasurer. “The Speaker has the numbers.”
“As of Saturday afternoon, no less than 240 members have already signed the manifesto of support—and that number keeps climbing. This is not just about party politics. It’s about unity, output, and trust in the Speaker’s steady hand and principled leadership.”
He said the initiative was backed by lawmakers from all major blocs—including Lakas-CMD, National Unity Party (NUP), Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), Nacionalista Party (NP), Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), and the Party-list Coalition Foundation Inc. (PCFI)—a clear sign of the Speaker’s ability to unite a diverse chamber.
“Speaker Romualdez has shown calm yet decisive leadership. He’s open to all, but never unclear in direction. He has kept the House focused on performance, not partisanship,” Suarez said.
“Continuity matters,” he added.