Representative Luis Raymund “LRay” Villafuerte Jr., head of the National Unity Party (NUP), cautioned fellow members that minor political bickering might fracture the supermajority alliance in both houses.
Villafuerte stressed unity’s importance in President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s successful first year.
“Only through greater unity under Speaker Martin can we remain true to our commitment to the President’s legislative agenda to improve the lives of all Filipinos,” the Camarines Sur congressman stated.
Villafuerte claimed the House of Representatives had passed most Marcos’s Agenda for Peace and Prosperity priority items under Romualdez’s leadership. This has helped the Malacañan Palace and Congress work together.
A breakdown of the supermajority alliance might result from political disagreements.
The former Camarines Sur governor highlighted Romualdez’s legislative performance. The 19th Congress’s first regular session enacted 31 Marcos-backed priority items.
In the first regular session under Romualdez, the House handled 9,600 measures: 8,490 bills, 1,109 resolutions, and one petition. 577 passed. This averages 30 legislative items each session day, 10 more than the 18th Congress.
The House cleared 33 of the President and Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council’s 42 priority measures before adjourning sine die last week. Villafuerte co-authored 14 of these important initiatives.
Villafuerte reiterated his appeal for unity, saying that the NUP, the House’s second-largest power bloc after Romualdez’s Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD), supports the alliance and Romualdez’s speakership.
