SEVEN out of 11 congressional representatives from the Davao Region, once considered the political stronghold of the Duterte family, have backed Leyte 1st District Representative Ferdinand Martin Romualdez as Speaker of the House for the 20th Congress.
Romualdez, a known political rival of the Dutertes and the last signatory of the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte earlier this year, was reelected as Speaker of the House with 269 votes on July 28, 2025.
The Davao lawmakers who supported Romualdez include Davao de Oro Representatives Maria Carmen Zamora and Leonel “Jhong” Ceniza, Davao del Norte Representatives De Carlo “Oyo” Uy and Jose Manuel “Manoy” Lagdameo, Davao del Sur Representative John Tracy Cagas, and Davao Oriental Representatives Nelson “JR” Dayanghirang and Cheeno Miguel Almario.
Cagas also stood out as the lone Davao representative who signed the February 2025 impeachment complaint against Vice President Duterte, joining over 215 lawmakers. The complaint was first signed by Ilocos Norte 1st District Representative Sandro Marcos and last by Romualdez himself.
Talks of a potential leadership challenge had circulated before the vote, with names like Bacolod Representative Albee Benitez, Navotas Representative Toby Tiangco, and Cebu 5th District Representative Vincent Franco Frasco floated as possible contenders. However, no formal bid emerged.
Romualdez, who previously led the House during the 19th Congress, was officially reelected at the opening of the new session.
The previous Congress under Romualdez was recognized as one of the most productive in Philippine legislative history, with over 11,000 bills and more than 2,300 resolutions filed. Of those, 1,565 measures were passed, including 287 enacted into national and local laws. Romualdez expressed optimism that the 20th Congress will achieve even more, citing the energy and ideas brought in by first-time lawmakers.
Political realignments in the Davao Region have become more apparent. In late 2023, several local officials from Davao Oriental — including Vice Governor Nelson Dayanghirang Jr. and several provincial board members — shifted allegiance to Romualdez’s Lakas-CMD party. They were formally sworn in by the House Speaker.
In July 2025, Romualdez also convened a policy dialogue with 16 lawmakers from Mindanao, including five from the Davao Region: Zamora, Ceniza, Uy, Dayanghirang, and Cagas. Emphasizing unity and shared responsibility, he said, “We are united not just by party lines, but by our shared duty to uplift every Filipino.”
As of press time, the Davao lawmakers have not released any official statements. SunStar Davao has reached out to them for comment. DEF