Something unusual happened in the House of Representatives just before the sine die adjournment of the first regular session. Right after House Speaker Martin Romualdez delivered his closing speech in plenary Wednesday night, May 31, a special video message from a special person was played. On the video monitors beamed the face of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., who hailed and thanked the House members for their efforts and legislative exploits the past 10 months. The taped video message lasted 74 seconds. House members burst into applause when it ended. For context, the Senate--the other legislative chamber in the bicameral Congress--didn't receive any presidential greeting when it adjourned sine die that same evening. Although it was unusual for the House to receive such message, the fact that Romualdez and Marcos are cousins probably made it less surprising. The Speaker has also visibly been Marcos' favorite and most trusted companion whenever the latter leaves Malacañang to attend public events. Marcos' show of support to the House leadership and the chamber also came in the direct aftermath of the leak of an ouster plot against Romualdez. This supposed coup attempt appears crushed by now given the multi-party alliances that the Speaker has been able to reaffirm. "Remain united, determined, and passionate. Be the voice of the people and fulfill your duties as servant leaders in your respective districts and provinces.Thank you for the cooperation that you have given the Executive and let us make this partnership even stronger," Marcos told the House members in his message.
Source: Manila Bulletin (https://mb.com.ph/2023/5/31/romualdez-house-get-unusual-but-emboldening-message-from-pbbm-before-adjournment)
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