OPINION
Ed Javier
And Now The End Is Near For Speaker Romualdez?
Photo credit: Congress PH
On a quiet Sunday morning, church bells ring as families walk toward mass under the rising sun.
Afterwards, children rush to buy balloons, lolas carry strings of sampaguita, and we pick up fruits, hot pandesal, suman and bibingka for breakfast.
After a few minutes of "kwentuhan" with friends, we head home. The rice fields stretch wide and green, and back at the table, with freshly brewed coffee beside us, we begin this piece.
On Saturday, September 6, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin told the House of Represenatives to “clean your own house first” before blaming others for the flood mess.
Let us try to dissect this move by Bersamin: with the blessings of Malacañang, he was sending a clear message about politics.
As long-time political observers, we believe his words were cleared from the very top. Bersamin is deliberate by nature, and a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
He is not dumb, nor reckless. If he talks tough, it is because President Bongbong Marcos himself wanted the House, and more importantly the Speaker, to get the message.
The surface issue is pork. Flood control projects doubled in just three years, yet Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Mindoro and Manila continue to face repeated losses.
Legislators have raised concerns about hundreds of billions of pesos in “completed” projects that strangely appear again in the budget. Ghost dikes, recycled dredging, desilting. The more money allocated, the worse the people suffer.
Bersamin was not just defending DPWH or DBM. He was firing a warning shot at Speaker Martin Romualdez. Translation: “If you can’t police your ranks or impose discipline, don’t pass the blame to us.”
In Philippine politics, when the Palace starts talking like that, the Speaker should start sweating.
History proves it. Gloria Arroyo moved on from Joe de Venecia. Rodrigo Duterte let go of Pantaleon Alvarez. Every President eventually discovers the Speakership is disposable.
We remembered during JDV’s time, when the Speakership was declared vacant and it was time to vote. His allies praised him in their opening remarks, then voted for his opponent, Boy Nograles, who eventually won.
Loyalty in Congress can be theatrical but brutally practical. A lesson Romualdez should study.
Congressmen are not slow learners. They have an instinct for survival. The moment they sense weakness, they shift faster than the flashfloods in Quezon City last week.
Today they clap for you at the rostrum. Tomorrow they clap for the new Speaker. Loyalty in Congress is measured not in years, not even months, but in minutes.
That is the real danger for Romualdez. The scandal is not just about money. It is about perception.
If his leadership is seen as damaged, the shift will be brutal. Chairs of committees will start taking calls from rivals. Party leaders will “reassess.”
The same people who cheered him into the Speakership will cheer him out.
All who tried to be President, from Mitra to JDV to Manny Villar, lost. Much more if you are ousted. History teaches one lesson: once you lose the gavel, you lose the future.
This is why Bersamin’s words sting. They did not just defend Malacañang. They punctured the Speaker’s armor. The subtext was clear: “Shape up or prepare for your swan song."
In politics, swan songs are not sung voluntarily. They are imposed by colleagues who no longer find you useful.
As Frank Sinatra sang, ‘And now, the end is near,’ For Romualdez, it may not be the final curtain, but Malacañang is already raising the baton to set the tempo.
Should we now expect the usual press releases from his PR machinery, full of recycled pledges of “solid support," the kind that only make the whispers grow louder?
The public does not care about internal quarrels. They care about the safety of their children, their livelihoods, their homes.
They know billions poured into flood projects should have saved them but did not. They also know the Speaker, as leader of the House, ultimately steers the budget process.
Paalaala, Mr. Speaker: sa pulitika, walang posisyon ang panghabang-buhay.
Kapag palubog na ang barko, maghahanap na ng bagong kapitan ang mga tripulante, na may basbas ng Malacañang.
Afterwards, children rush to buy balloons, lolas carry strings of sampaguita, and we pick up fruits, hot pandesal, suman and bibingka for breakfast.
After a few minutes of "kwentuhan" with friends, we head home. The rice fields stretch wide and green, and back at the table, with freshly brewed coffee beside us, we begin this piece.
On Saturday, September 6, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin told the House of Represenatives to “clean your own house first” before blaming others for the flood mess.
Let us try to dissect this move by Bersamin: with the blessings of Malacañang, he was sending a clear message about politics.
As long-time political observers, we believe his words were cleared from the very top. Bersamin is deliberate by nature, and a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
He is not dumb, nor reckless. If he talks tough, it is because President Bongbong Marcos himself wanted the House, and more importantly the Speaker, to get the message.
The surface issue is pork. Flood control projects doubled in just three years, yet Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Mindoro and Manila continue to face repeated losses.
Legislators have raised concerns about hundreds of billions of pesos in “completed” projects that strangely appear again in the budget. Ghost dikes, recycled dredging, desilting. The more money allocated, the worse the people suffer.
Bersamin was not just defending DPWH or DBM. He was firing a warning shot at Speaker Martin Romualdez. Translation: “If you can’t police your ranks or impose discipline, don’t pass the blame to us.”
In Philippine politics, when the Palace starts talking like that, the Speaker should start sweating.
History proves it. Gloria Arroyo moved on from Joe de Venecia. Rodrigo Duterte let go of Pantaleon Alvarez. Every President eventually discovers the Speakership is disposable.
We remembered during JDV’s time, when the Speakership was declared vacant and it was time to vote. His allies praised him in their opening remarks, then voted for his opponent, Boy Nograles, who eventually won.
Loyalty in Congress can be theatrical but brutally practical. A lesson Romualdez should study.
Congressmen are not slow learners. They have an instinct for survival. The moment they sense weakness, they shift faster than the flashfloods in Quezon City last week.
Today they clap for you at the rostrum. Tomorrow they clap for the new Speaker. Loyalty in Congress is measured not in years, not even months, but in minutes.
That is the real danger for Romualdez. The scandal is not just about money. It is about perception.
If his leadership is seen as damaged, the shift will be brutal. Chairs of committees will start taking calls from rivals. Party leaders will “reassess.”
The same people who cheered him into the Speakership will cheer him out.
All who tried to be President, from Mitra to JDV to Manny Villar, lost. Much more if you are ousted. History teaches one lesson: once you lose the gavel, you lose the future.
This is why Bersamin’s words sting. They did not just defend Malacañang. They punctured the Speaker’s armor. The subtext was clear: “Shape up or prepare for your swan song."
In politics, swan songs are not sung voluntarily. They are imposed by colleagues who no longer find you useful.
As Frank Sinatra sang, ‘And now, the end is near,’ For Romualdez, it may not be the final curtain, but Malacañang is already raising the baton to set the tempo.
Should we now expect the usual press releases from his PR machinery, full of recycled pledges of “solid support," the kind that only make the whispers grow louder?
The public does not care about internal quarrels. They care about the safety of their children, their livelihoods, their homes.
They know billions poured into flood projects should have saved them but did not. They also know the Speaker, as leader of the House, ultimately steers the budget process.
Paalaala, Mr. Speaker: sa pulitika, walang posisyon ang panghabang-buhay.
Kapag palubog na ang barko, maghahanap na ng bagong kapitan ang mga tripulante, na may basbas ng Malacañang.
Sep 8, 2025
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