10 hours ago
1
Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!
Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.
Visit Suniway.ph to learn
Delon Porcalla - The Philippine Star
June 16, 2025 | 12:00am
Senator Imee Marcos leads the Senate hearing into the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte on March 20, 2025.
STAR / Jesse Bustos
MANILA, Philippines — The designated spokesperson for the House of Representatives defended Speaker Martin Romualdez from renewed personal attacks thrown at him by his first cousin, reelected Sen. Imee Marcos.
To set the record straight, House spokesperson Princess Abante refuted insinuations Romualdez wants to join the next presidential race, when no surveys have yet been conducted.
“He (Romualdez) is hardly interviewed and isn’t ‘chummy chummy’ with media. He doesn’t hold press conferences for his own self-interest. And most of all, he doesn’t avail himself of the popular social media platform TikTok if only to make himself cute. He prioritizes public service, not ambition,” Abante said.
She said the Speaker has no announced plans for 2028, nor does he seek media mileage or viral popularity.
“While others are busy traveling abroad for media appearances and, apparently, early campaigning, Speaker Romualdez continues to work – serving the law, guarding funds, and bringing aid to those in need,” she said in Filipino.
As for lawmakers’ role in giving out ayuda or financial assistance to those in need, Abante maintained that “giving ayuda to the poor is better than stealing people’s money. Helping the poor should never be a cause of shame.”
