Mikee Romero

Michael Odylon "Mikee" Lagman Romero (; born March 21, 1972) is a Filipino businessman, politician, and amateur polo player. He has been serving as a Party-list Representative for 1-Pacman since 2016. He previously served as a House Deputy Speaker from 2019 to 2022, except for a 12-day period out of office in October 2020 due to a House leadership crisis. During the 18th Congress, he was also the president of the Party-list Coalition, an alliance of more than 50 representatives from various party-lists.

As a businessman, Romero is currently the chairman and president of Globalport 900 and owns the NorthPort Batang Pier basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). As of December 2018, his declared net worth is ₱ 7.858 billion. He is the Philippines' richest Congress representative and is among the country's 50 richest persons.

Business career

Romero serves as chair of the Board of Globalport 900, Inc. (), formerly MIC Holdings Corp, since June 7, 2012. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from De La Salle University (while also playing for the university's varsity basketball team) and a Master's in Business Management from the Asian Institute of Management. He also holds two doctorate degrees in Business Administration and Political Economics coming from the International Academy of Management and Economics and De La Salle University.

He is also chief executive officer of Harbour Centre Port Terminal, Inc., chair of Manila North Harbour Port, Inc., chair of Mikro-tech Capital, Inc., CEO of Pacifica, Inc. and vice chair of AirAsia Philippines.

Son of construction magnate Reghis Romero II, Romero worked in venture capital in Singapore before returning home in 2002 to seize the country's infrastructure opportunity. He converted his family's reclaimed land into Harbour Center Port Terminal, now the country's biggest bulk and breakbulk port. He listed his port assets in 2011, with a reverse takeover of listed MIC Holdings, renaming it as GlobalPort 900, Inc. He said he wants to build a 'seaport highway' across the Philippines archipelago. He also has a 65% stake in Manila North Harbour, country's biggest port, where San Miguel is a partner. Other interests include mining, hotels, a 20% stake in Air Asia Philippines and 15% in Alfred Yao's Zest Airways.

Sporting career

Playing career

Romero took up several sports with the intention of competing in the SEA Games. He was 3-dan black belter in Arnis, a national jetski champion in 2005 and was with the Philippine trap shooting team.

Basketball

The De La Salle Green Archers had Romero as a player in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP). His basketball career ended in 1991 after sustaining an ankle injury.

Polo

In polo, he is known for being the founder of the Philippine National Federation of Polo Players. The Miguel Lorenzo Romero Polo Field in Calatagan, Batangas is named after his deceased son.

Romero is also a polo player taking up horse riding when he was five years old. He started training in polo in 2010 under professional polo players, mostly from Argentina. He went on to compete in polo competitions in Thailand and the United States. He competed for the Philippines at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games. He competed in the 0-2 goals event with the team settling for the bronze medal.

Romero is also affiliated with the GlobalPort Polo Team as a player. GlobalPort is set to become the first Asia-based team to compete in the U.S. Open Polo Championship. The team, Romero included, will debut in the 2025 edition.

Sports management

Romero owns a baseball team ( Manila Sharks) and a PBA team ( NorthPort Batang Pier).

Sports teams

* NorthPort Batang Pier (Philippine Basketball Association, 2012–present)
* Capital1 Solar Energy ( Premier Volleyball League, 2024–present)
* AirAsia Flying Spikers ( Philippine Super Liga, 2014)
* Manila Sharks ( Baseball Philippines, 2007–2012)
* AirAsia Philippine Patriots ( ASEAN Basketball League, 2009–2012)
* Harbour Centre Batang Pier/Oracle Residences Titans ( Philippine Basketball League, 2004–2010)

Political career

Romero was named as one of the new deputy speakers of House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano on August 13, 2019. During a House leadership crisis which began in late September 2020, Romero supported Lord Allan Velasco's speakership bid in accordance with the term-sharing agreement between Cayetano and Velasco during the commencement of the 18th Congress. On October 2, Fredenil Castro (Capiz–2nd) challenged the representatives to resign if they cannot cooperate with Cayetano's leadership. Deputy Majority Leader Xavier Jesus Romualdo moved to have Castro replace Romero as a deputy speaker. The motion was approved without objections, removing Romero from the position.

On October 12, a majority of House members held session at the Celebrity Sports Complex in Quezon City. After they declared the speakership vacant, Romero was one of those who nominated Velasco as speaker. Velasco was declared as the new speaker after garnering 186 votes, more than the 151 needed for a majority. However, Cayetano's side questioned the legality of the session. The next day, Velasco was formally elected in an official session held at the Batasang Pambansa while Cayetano resigned. On October 14, Romero was again elected as a deputy speaker, replacing the ousted Luis Raymund Villafuerte (Camarines Sur–2nd), a Cayetano ally.

Personal life

Mikee Romero married Sheila Bermudez in 1992 with whom he had five children, which includes Milka Romero. His son Miguel Lorenzo died in 2017 at age 22, who was a polo player like himself and a jujitsu practitioner.

Romero's mother, Lillibeth Romero, was the longtime partner of actor and producer Eddie Garcia, whom Mikee considers to be his stepfather. Following Garcia's accidental death in 2019, Romero filed a bill in Congress—later dubbed the "Eddie Garcia Law"—which mandates occupational safety requirements in the cultural and entertainment industries. Congress approved the bill on its third reading in February 2023, and President Bongbong Marcos signed it into law in May 2024 as Republic Act No. 11996, or the Eddie Garcia Law.

Notes

References

External links

* at Forbes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Romero, Mikee
1972 births
Living people
De La Salle University alumni
Filipino men's basketball players
21st-century Filipino businesspeople
Filipino sportsperson-politicians
Filipino polo players
Basketball players from Manila
Party-list members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines
Asian Institute of Management alumni
Competitors at the 2019 SEA Games
SEA Games competitors for the Philippines
De La Salle Green Archers basketball players
20th-century Filipino sportsmen