House Speaker Romualdez to Resign, Backs Deputy Speaker Bojie Dy as Successor

House Deputy Speaker and Antipolo City Representative Ronaldo Puno revealed that Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez has expressed his intention to resign and has nominated Deputy Speaker Faustino "Bojie" Dy III as his successor.

In a radio interview on Wednesday, Puno, who also chairs the National Unity Party—the second largest party in the House of Representatives—stated that Romualdez called a meeting on Tuesday afternoon to inform party leaders of his decision.

"Yesterday, Speaker Martin Romualdez summoned us and said he plans to resign from his position today," Puno said. "He recommended that we support Deputy Speaker Bojie Dy, who he believes will ensure effective leadership in the House."

Puno also disclosed that Romualdez had been contemplating resignation for weeks due to controversies surrounding flood control projects. "This is a voluntary decision on Speaker Martin’s part. He had been discussing his resignation for weeks, especially during meetings with party-list groups, mentioning that the controversies were too overwhelming and that he wished to protect the House’s reputation. We, of course, tried to convince him not to step down," Puno explained.

"About a week ago, he suggested the possibility of stepping aside temporarily to face investigations without impacting the House’s integrity. Some party leaders supported this, saying, 'Mr. Speaker, if you think you need to step aside, do so.' However, Speaker Martin wanted to face the accusations head-on, concerned about rumors suggesting he was using his position to evade scrutiny," he added.

Regarding alternatives, Puno said party leaders initially proposed Romualdez take a leave of absence. "Yesterday afternoon, he informed us he decided not to take a leave but to resign outright. He feared that taking a leave would create speculation that he might return soon, which he wanted to avoid," Puno narrated.

"We all fully support Speaker Martin’s decision, and as requested, we will back Deputy Speaker Bojie Dy as the next Speaker," he affirmed.

A meeting was scheduled today to finalize the transition plans ahead of the House session commencing at 3 p.m.