DEPUTY Speaker and Cebu 5th District Rep. Vincent Franco “Duke” Frasco explained his decision to reject a manifesto backing Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez’s continued leadership, citing mounting frustration over deepening political divisions in Congress and among local leaders.
Frasco publicly announced on Monday, June 9, 2025, that he had chosen not to sign a statement endorsing Romualdez’s continued leadership in the 20th Congress.
He revealed that he was asked to sign the manifesto two days after the May 12 national and local elections. He added that his decision followed weeks of consultations with fellow lawmakers, local officials — particularly from the Visayas and Mindanao — and his own constituents.
“I have not signed the manifesto and after careful reflection, I have decided not to,” said Frasco.
National Unity Party (NUP) president and Camarines Sur Rep. L-Ray Villafuerte slammed Frasco’s refusal to endorse Romualdez, who represents Leyte’s 1st District, calling it opposition to the NUP’s unified position.
Villafuerte said the party had formally declared its full support for the Speaker as early as May.
Frasco’s move led to his expulsion from the NUP for allegedly opposing its stance on Romualdez’s continued speakership.
Meanwhile, Tingog Party-list Rep. and House Speaker Martin Romualdez’s wife, Yedda Romualdez, denied on Saturday, June 7, rumors linking her to local political races in Cebu amid the fallout from Frasco’s refusal to back her husband.
While she did not explicitly explain why she mentioned Frasco, she clarified that her residency is a matter of public record with the Commission on Elections and that Frasco knows whether she is his constituent.
The congresswoman dismissed local speculation, stressing her focus on national legislative initiatives that aid disaster-vulnerable communities, women, children and marginalized groups.
Political divide
Frasco stressed that his decision was not meant to create further division within Congress but to call for more accountable and unifying leadership in the House of Representatives.
He lamented that the unity the public has envisioned has been eroded by self-serving political agendas, urging the need for House leadership that brings people together and supports President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s call for national cohesion and effective governance.
“There is deep disappointment that the unity our people once hoped for has been steadily undermined by political and personal interests,” Frasco said. “Our duty as public servants is not to advance individual interests, but to serve the Filipino people.”
Frasco served as mayor of Liloan in northern Cebu from 2007 to 2016 before being elected representative for Cebu’s 5th congressional district in 2019. He was reelected in 2022 and subsequently became Deputy Speaker of the 19th Congress.
He was a member of the NUP until his expulsion and has previously been affiliated with Lakas–Christian Muslim Democrats, United Nationalist Alliance and the Liberal Party.
His wife, Christina Garcia-Frasco, currently serves as tourism secretary. / DPC