TACLOBAN CITY – House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez officially took his oath of office as Representative of Leyte’s first district during a solemn ceremony held at the historic Price Mansion in Tacloban City on Sunday, June 29.
Court of Appeals Associate Justice Bautista Corpin Jr. administered the oath.
The event also served as a family milestone, with Romualdez’s sons, Andrew Julian Romualdez and Ferdinand Romualdez, also taking their oaths. Andrew Julian as a Tingog party-list representative, and Ferdinand as a newly elected member of the Tacloban City Council.
Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre also reaffirmed his oath of office during the gathering, which included the induction of newly elected officials from Tacloban City and the towns of Palo, Babatngon, Tanauan, Tolosa, Sta. Fe, Alangalang, and San Miguel, all from Leyte’s first congressional district.
In his remarks, Romualdez expressed deep gratitude to his constituents and pledged to deliver more services and development projects across the district.
“We will strive to do our very best to deliver more services, more programs, and more projects—not just for the city of Tacloban, but for all the municipalities in the first district,” he said.
He also acknowledged his family’s support and commended the leadership of Rep. Acidre, calling him “the rock of Tingog.”
“You’ve done so much, not just for the district, but for the entire region and even beyond,” Romualdez added.
The House Speaker also congratulated the newly elected local officials, saying their overwhelming mandates reflected the people’s trust.
“You were overwhelmingly re-elected—that means you’ve done well, and the people believe in you. Now, let’s keep delivering,” he said.
Ending on a note of unity and resilience, Romualdez recalled the region’s recovery after Typhoon Yolanda and encouraged officials to continue aiming higher.
“Together, we shall rise. We proved this after Yolanda—we bounced back. Now, we aim even higher,” he said.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)
