Romualdez resigns to allow full accountability, transparency

By Jose Cielito Reganit, Philippine News Agency

He said when he first assumed the Speakership, he made a solemn commitment: that the House of Representatives would be the people’s House. (File Photo: House of Representatives of the Philippines/Facebook)

MANILA – Leyte 1st District Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez on Wednesday resigned as House Speaker, saying he was doing so to allow full accountability and transparency in the wake of controversies hounding infrastructure projects.

“Today, with a full heart and a clear conscience, I tender my resignation as Speaker of the House of Representatives. I do this so that the Independent Commission on Infrastructure may pursue its mandate freely and fully — without doubt, without interference, and without undue influence,” Romualdez said in his speech before the plenary.

He said when he first assumed the Speakership, he made a solemn commitment: that the House of Representatives would be the people’s House.

“Yet leadership also demands that we confront the trials of the present,” he said.

“In his recent State of the Nation Address, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. reminded us that accountability must prevail and that no one is above scrutiny. I fully and unequivocally embrace that call,” he said.

However, the issues surrounding certain infrastructure projects, Romualdez said, have raised questions that weigh not only upon himself, but upon the chamber itself.

“The longer I stay, the heavier that burden grows — on me, on this House, and on the President I have always sought to support. And so, after deep reflection and prayer, I have made the decision,” he said.

“Let the truth emerge, and let justice be done.”

He urged his colleagues to carry forward with their work with unity and resolve.

He also asked the Filipino people to never lose faith in democracy, “for it remains capable of self-correction and renewal.”

“I leave this Chamber as I first entered it — a humble servant, ready to serve wherever duty may call. I step down not in surrender, but in service — for sometimes, the greatest act of leadership is the grace to let go, so that this institution may endure stronger than before,” Romualdez said.