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Leyte 1st District Representative Ferdinand Martin Romualdez will continue to lead the House of Representatives for the 20th Congress, securing his position as Speaker after a majority of lawmakers re-elected him in a vote on Monday.

Romualdez ran uncontested for the top post, receiving the favor of 269 House representatives, while 34 others abstained from the vote.

His nomination was put forward by Quezon 2nd District Representative Jay-jay Suarez, who lauded Romualdez’s leadership during his previous term. “It is in moments like these that leadership matters most. It is in that spirit that I rise today to nominate a man whose leadership has been tested, proven, and deeply felt across this chamber and beyond,” Suarez stated. He added that under Romualdez’s stewardship, the 19th Congress became “a true House of the people, responsive to the needs of the nation, attuned to the voice of the common Filipino, and anchored to the values of unity, service and progress.”

The nomination was seconded by several prominent lawmakers, including Ilocos Norte 1st District Representative Sandro Marcos III, Quezon 1st District Representative Wilfredo Mark Enverga, Antipolo 1st District Representative Ronaldo Puno, Misamis Oriental 2nd District Representative Yevgeny Emano, and TUCP Party-list Representative Raymond Mendoza.

Even before the official opening of the 20th Congress today, Romualdez had already solidified his support, with the House “supermajority” having signed a manifesto expressing their desire for him to retain the Speakership, as earlier confirmed by House Assistant Majority Leader Representative Zia Alonto Adiong.