VICE President Sara Duterte confirmed on Saturday, May 17, 2025, that she has discussed the possibility of the House Speakership with her brother, Davao City 1st District Representative Paolo “Pulong” Duterte, following the 2025 midterm elections.
Speaking to local reporters after a Thanksgiving Mass at the Carmelite Church on J.P. Laurel Avenue, Duterte clarified that no official candidates have approached her regarding either the House speakership or the Senate presidency.
“Wala akong candidate for speaker or for Senate president. Wala din ako, wala din lumapit sa akin for Speaker or for Senate President. Sinabihan ko si Congressman Pulong. Sabi ko sa kanya baka gusto mo lumaban ng speaker? Hindi ba siya sumagot. Hindi siya sumagot, iniisip din niya siguro yung chances niya na malayo (I don’t have a candidate for speaker or Senate president, and no one has approached me about it. I told Congressman Pulong, maybe you’d like to run for Speaker? He didn’t respond—maybe he’s still weighing his chances),” Duterte said.
Although Pulong has not shown strong interest in the Speakership—widely considered the highest-ranking position in the House and fourth in the national line of succession—Sara Duterte said she suggested an alternative.
“Well sinabi ko sa kanya, kung hindi ka manalo ng speaker, then kunin mo yung minority. Diba? But wala pa siyang sagot. So I guess he's still thinking about it. Siguro. Hindi ko alam (I told him, if you don’t win the Speakership, then go for the Minority Leader role. But he hasn’t responded yet, so I suppose he’s still thinking about it),” she added.
Pulong Duterte, who previously served as Deputy Speaker in the 18th Congress, secured his third and final consecutive term in the 2025 elections with 203,557 votes.
The current House speaker is Martin Romualdez of Leyte’s 1st District, who was elected at the start of the 19th Congress in 2022. A cousin of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., Romualdez played a key role in the UniTeam coalition during the 2022 elections, though he was later described by Sara Duterte as a political rival.
In the Philippine legislative system, the Speaker is chosen through a majority vote by House members at the beginning of each Congress.
The Speaker traditionally does not vote on legislation except to break ties. Lawmakers align themselves into the majority or minority bloc depending on their support or opposition to the Speaker, with the runner-up in the speakership race typically assuming the role of minority leader. DEF