TACLOBAN CITY- Former Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said that his party, Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats, and Tingog Sinirangan, a party-list group he helped form, is committed in supporting the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.
Romualdez, who is reclaiming his congressional seat for Leyte’s first district in next year’s elections, made this assurance after he entered an alliance with Hugpong ng Pagbabago of Davao City Mayor and presidential daughter, Sara Duterte, during a big gathering held at the Tacloban City Convention Center on November 7.
“The signing of an alliance agreement is just a formality because both parties have already been aligned in principle before. We share the same mission, beliefs, vision and thrusts with Mayor Sara’s Hugpong ng Pagbabago,” said Romualdez, who is also the president of the Philippine Constitution Association (Philconsa).
“We are all committed to push President Rodrigo Duterte’s agenda for nation’s growth and improve the lives of the people in the countryside,” the former solon said.
Romualdez also expressed his commitment to support the senatorial candidates of Hugpong ng Pagbabago which he said would carry Pres.Duterte’s agenda of genuine change.
He also reiterated the party’s “strong support to President Duterte and his agenda for change.”
For her part, Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez, wife of Romualdez and first nominee of Tingog Sinirangan, thanked the people of the first district of Leyte for electing her to Congress, this after she accepted the party-list nomination.
Rep. Romualdez is behind in the successful passage of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act which provides for free college education in all state colleges and universities and the Ease of Doing Business Act, which intends to help the budding small and medium entrepreneurs.
“We passed on third reading the Alternative Learning System Bill, which aims to strengthen the alternative learning system, the Expanded Maternity Leave Bill, which enables new mothers to care for their newborn for the first hundred days and recently, the Disaster Resilience Bill, which provides for the creation of the Department of Disaster Resilience as the country’s principal agency responsible for preparing and responding to natural disasters and climate change,” she said.
The desire to be of help to an even wider community pushed her to accept the party-list nomination, Romualdez said.
“We hope that the modest achievements we have realized here in the first district of Leyte, could be true to every part of Samar, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, Leyte, Southern Leyte, and Biliran,” she added.
Philip Jude Acidre, the second nominee of Tingog, acknowledged Pres. Duterte, saying that “in our time, the leadership, sincerity and passion for service of our President Rodrigo Roa Duterte gives us so much hope in the future, that the change that we aspire for ourselves and our families is already here.”
“It is a deep honor for me to stand before all of you – leaders of both our regions, and of our nation – as we embark on a common journey towards a better tomorrow for this nation that we all love,” Acidre said.
The other three nominees of Tingog are Jamie Go, Alexis Yu, and Jenifer Padual. (RONALD O.REYES)
