Rep. Faustino “Bojie” Dy III (Isabela, 6th District) was elected the new Speaker of the House replacing Rep. Martin Romualdez (Leyte, 1st District). who resigned from the post on Wednesday, Sept. 17.
Dy won by a vote of 253, while 28 representatives abstained and four did not cast a vote. Nine Negros Island Region (NIR) representatives voted for Dy, while three others were not present.
Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) administered Dy’s oath of office as Speaker of the House.
“I hold Speaker Dy in the highest regard and have full confidence in his integrity and vision to guide the House of Representatives,” he said.
Bacolod Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, who had called for Romualdez to step down as speaker, said, “I gladly vote for Faustino Dy.”
Benitez called Dy’s takeover “the best way to move forward.”
“That’s a good move, that is probably the best way to move forward so that at least we can see and find the truth about the problem that’s rocking the House,” Benitez said.
Benitez said the change in the Lower House leadership was necessary for “a new image” amid the controversy over the government’s flood control projects.
The representatives of Negros Occidental who also voted for Dy were:
- Alfredo Marañon III (2nd District)
- Javier Miguel Benitez (3rd District)
- Jeffrey Ferrer (4th District)
- Emilio Bernardino L. Yulo (5th District)
- Mercedes Alvarez (6th District)
Julio A. Ledesma IV (1st District) was not present when called to vote.
Negrense Rep. Manuel Frederick Ko (Abang Lingkod Partylist) also voted for Dy.
The Negros Oriental representatives who voted for Dy were:
• Emmanuel L. Iway (1st District)
• Janice Degamo (3rd District)
Ma. Isabel Sagarbarria (Neg. Or., 2nd District) was not called to vote, while Siquijor Rep. Zaldy Villa was not present.
Earlier this week Ledesma, Marañon, Ferrer, Yulo, Iway, Sagarbarria, Degamo and Villa had signed a manifesto of support for Romualdez as Speaker of the House.*