Photo credit: Congress PH

It was another wet midweek, the kind of gray afternoon when the rain refuses to leave and the air feels heavy with indecision.

A normal rainy day in the province, except in the House of Representatives, where the storm had already broken.

At 3:23 p.m. yesterday, Martin Romualdez stood at the rostrum and, with a straight face, gave up the Speakership. Within hours, Faustino “Bojie” Dy III of Isabela was sworn in as the new boss of the chamber.

If it felt abrupt, it wasn’t.

Weeks ago, the signs were already clear. Malacañang’s warning shots, the growing discontent in the chamber, the mounting public anger over budgets and floods, all pointed to a Speakership on its way out.

Dy enters with goodwill, both from the Palace and many of his colleagues. He is known for an amiable personality, approachable and easy to work with.

We have met the new Speaker a few times, and he does come across as a man who listens first before he speaks, a rare quality in politics.

That can be an asset in a chamber that thrives on fragile alliances. But warmth alone will not be enough.

An amiable Speaker can win friends; a decisive Speaker earns respect.

Because a change of Speaker is only a good start. People are angry, and they want meaningful change, not cosmetic reshuffling.

If Dy simply inherits Romualdez’s machinery, then nothing has shifted except the name on the office door.

That means confronting the very people who contributed to Romualdez’s downfall, and many of them still sit comfortably in their posts.

The deputy speakers who offered blind loyalty. The Minority Leader whose public perception is toxic.

The Speaker’s Band of rah-rah boys who provided noise instead of accountability: Benny Abante, the loudest voice, always shouting at witnesses; Joel Chua, plodding with predictable cover; Paolo Ortega, a single-tone keyboard; and Terry Ridon, the nervous unsure novice.

Towering above them, Marcelino Libanan, the so-called Minority Leader, often behaving more like a secret agent for Romualdez, opposition in title but rarely in action. His rush to Dy’s side yesterday was not statesmanship. It was desperation.

Keeping them would signal business as usual. Removing them would show the House, the Palace, and the public that Dy is serious.

But beyond removing loyalists, the public expects the harder task: accountability. The people want guilty congressmen punished, if Romualdez, Zaldy Co, or anyone else is proven guilty, then the hammer must fall.

Only then will Filipinos believe that Speaker Dy has ushered in new leadership in a House that, at this point, is not credible to the Filipino people.

Dy now has the gavel and, for the moment, the goodwill of both Malacañang and the House. But goodwill is fleeting.

He must show balance, good leader when he can, a bad one when he must.

That means proving to the President and the people that this was not just a face swap at the top, but the start of real reform inside the chamber.

Sa dulo, malinaw ang usapan: hindi pwedeng bago ang mukha pero luma pa rin ang kalakaran.

Ang kailangan ay isang Speaker na may puso, talino, at tapang na maglinis ng sariling bakuran.

Kung hindi, mabilis din siyang kakainin ng lumang banda na ngayon ay naghahanap lang ng bagong maestro.

Ed Javier

Ed Javier is a veteran communicator with over 35 years of experience in corporate, government, and advocacy communications, spanning the terms of seven Philippine presidents. He is also a political analyst, entrepreneur, and media professional. Drawing on this experience, he delivers clear, accessible analysis of political, governance, and business issues.