Two more congressmen in the incoming 19th Congress have joined the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD), bringing the party’s strength to 52.
House Majority Leader and Leyte 1st District Rep. Martin G. Romualdez, Lakas-CMD president, have sworn in Salvador Pleyto Sr. (Bulacan) and Emeng Pascual (Nueva Ecija) as new Lakas-CMD members at Lakas-CMD Headquarters in Mandaluyong City on Tuesday afternoon.
“Our partners in our call for unity are growing by the day. This is no surprise since the just-concluded May elections showed everyone that the Filipino people prefer unity right now, with the stake as high as they are in order for our country to fully recover from the COVID-19
pandemic,” Romualdez, a lawyer from University of the Philippines (UP) and president of the Philippine Constitution Association (Philconsa), said.
In the same event, nine congressmen-member of Lakas-CMD from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao formally took their ceremonial oath, thus further solidifying the party.
Reps. Daphne Lagon (Cebu), David Suarez (Quezon), Emmarie Ouano-Dizon (Mandaue City), Edsel Galeos (Cebu), Arnan Panaligan (Oriental Mindoro), Faustino Michael Carlos Dy III (Isabela), Steve Solon (Sarangani), Princess Rihan M. Sakaluran (Sultan Kudarat), and Jinky Bitrics Luistro (Batangas) have sworn in by Romualdez.
Romualdez said the nine lawmakers were already part of the 52-strong Lakas membership in the House of Representatives.
A recent wave of oath-takings caused the members of Lakas to balloon from 27 to 52.
Romualdez is president of Lakas-CMD, one of the oldest and most respected political parties in the country.
Lakas-CMD produced two chief executives, namely former Presidents Fidel V. Ramos and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.