LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez was recently officially adopted as a son of the municipality and was given the local name ‘batakagan’ which means brightest star during simple conferment rites held in the locality.
The House Speaker, together with other lawmakers from the different parts of the country, joined Rep. Eric Yap, Gov. Melchor Diclas and other provincial and municipal officials in spearheading the conduct of the 15th edition of the Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo fair caravan in the province last April 21-22, 2024 at the State-run Benguet State University (BSU) compound.
Under Resolution No. 69, series of 2024, municipal officials led by Mayor Romeo K. Salda and Vice Mayor Roderick Awingan stated that aside from overseeing the legislative function of the House of Representatives, he also conceptualized and spearheaded the Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo fair, a groundbreaking event aimed at revolutionizing public service in the country, showcasing innovation.
The resolution added that the people of the municipality are honored to welcome House Speaker Romualdez as his noble intention to visit and show support and assistance to the residents deserves recognition worthy as a son.
Earlier, Romualdez was elected by lawmakers as the 24th House Speaker where he previously served for three years as House Majority Leader in the 18th Congress.
Further, he is also the president of the LAKAS – Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) Party, one of the oldest and most respected political parties in the country.
The House Speaker earned a Bachelor’s degree in government from Comell University in the United States in 1985, he earned a Certificate of Special Studies in Administration and Management from the prestigious Harvard University. He then graduated with a law degree from the University of the Philippines College of Law.
Romualdez is married to his fellow lawmaker, of the 19th Congress, Tingog Party-list Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez.
He holds the fourth highest position in the Philippine government only behind the Senate President, the vice President and his cousin, President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos.
As a lawmaker during the COVID-19 pandemic, Romualdez authored several major bills geared towards COVID-19 recovery that allowed the country to gradually and safely recover from the serious negative impact that was inflicted by the pandemic to the lives of the Filipinos.
Foremost of the aforesaid legislations include the Bayanihan to heal Us One Act or the Bayanihan 1 and the Bayanihan to Recover or Bayanihan 2 laws.
Apart from being in politics, he also held various executive positions and directorship for banks such as the Philippine Commercial International Bank, the Equitable PCI Bank, and the PCI Leasing Corporation through the years.
Mayor Salda said that the adoption of the House Speaker as son of the municipality will definitely provide greater opportunities for the local government to be able to access sufficient government support from the various government agencies, especially in the desire of the municipal government to become a city in the future and drumbeat potential development initiatives that need government interventions. By Dexter A. See
