Speaker Of The House Of Representatives Of The Philippines

The speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines (), more popularly known as the House speaker, is the presiding officer and the highest-ranking official of the lower house of Congress, the House of Representatives, as well as the fourth-highest official of the government of the Philippines.

The speaker is elected by a majority of all of the representatives from among themselves. The speaker is the third and last in the line of succession to the presidency, after the vice president and the Senate president.

A speaker may be removed from office in a coup, or can be replaced by death or resignation. In some cases, a speaker may be compelled to resign at the middle of a Congress' session after he has lost support of the majority of congressmen; in that case, an election for a new speaker is held. Despite being a partisan official, the speaker (or whoever is presiding) does not vote unless in breaking ties in accordance with the Rules of the House of Representatives.

The current House speaker is Martin Romualdez of Leyte- 1st congressional district. He was elected as speaker on July 25, 2022, the first day of the 19th Congress.

Election

When the office of speaker is vacant (usually at the beginning of a new Congress), the secretary-general of the House sits as the speaker until a person is elected. A speaker is usually elected via majority vote via roll call of the representatives, after nomination at the start of each new Congress. Usually, despite the current multi-party system used, only two representatives are nominated, with nominations being agreed upon before each Congress during caucuses between the administration and opposition coalitions, with the chosen candidate of the majority coalition being almost certain to win by a large margin. The two competing candidates by tradition vote for each other; those who voted for the speaker-elect is assigned as the "majority" coalition while those who didn't are the minority coalition, with the losing candidate usually being named as minority leader.

In the 2013 election, there were three candidates for the speakership. In this case, the candidates didn't vote for each other, and the second-placed candidate became minority leader and headed the minority bloc. The third-placed candidate became the leader of the "independent minority" bloc. Only the majority and minority blocs were given seats in committees. There was a chance that neither candidate would get a majority of votes; it is undetermined on what should be done if that happened.

Role

According to Section 15 of Rule 4 of the House Rules, the Speaker of the House has the following duties and powers:
# Prepare the legislative agenda for each session, ensure efficient deliberation and swift approval of measures, and coordinate with Deputy Speakers and committee leaders.
# Conduct regular caucuses to discuss priority measures and facilitate dialogue among members.
# Supervise all committees, hold regular meetings with committee leaders, and ensure legislative targets align with the House's agenda.
# Establish an information management system to facilitate legislative work and public information.
# Monitor and evaluate the performance of the House, its members, and committees.
# Coordinate with the Senate to track and facilitate action on House measures.
# Preside over House sessions, make rulings on order, and designate temporary presiding officers when necessary.
# Maintain order and decorum within the House premises.
# Sign official House documents, including acts, resolutions, and subpoenas.
# Perform administrative duties, such as appointing personnel, imposing disciplinary measures, and managing budgetary and merit-based policies.
# Prepare the House's annual budget with the Committee on Accounts.
# Develop rules for public access to members' personal data and assets in consultation with the Committee on Rules.
# Implement a drug testing system for House members and staff.
# Require performance reports from committees and House officers.

And according to Section 16 of the Rule 4 of the Rules of the House, the speaker must "be the permanent head of delegation and representative of the House in all international parliamentary gatherings and organizations: Provided, that the Speaker may designate any Member to be the representative of the Speaker. The Speaker shall also determine, upon the recommendation of the Majority Leader, in consultation with the Chairperson of the Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Relations and Diplomacy, who shall
constitute the House delegation to any international conference or forum of parliamentarians and legislators and the secretariat support staff to be mobilized for the purpose."

List of speakers

Speakers per region

List of speakers per party (24 speakers)

Timeline

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id:None value:black
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id:LP value:dullyellow legend:Liberal
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id:UNIDO value:blue legend:LDP
id:Lakas value:skyblue legend:Lakas–CMD/Lakas–Kampi–CMD
id:PMP value:orange legend:LAMMP/PMP
id:NPC value:green legend:NPC
id:PDP value:yelloworange legend:PDP–Laban

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from:09/15/1898 till:03/23/1901 text:"Pedro Paterno" color:None
from:10/16/1907 till:06/06/1922 text:"Sergio Osmeña" color:NP
from:10/27/1922 till:10/17/1933 text:"Manuel Roxas" color:NP
from:10/17/1933 till:09/16/1935 text:"Quintin Paredes" color:NP
from:11/25/1935 till:12/30/1938 text:"Gil Montilla" color:NP
from:01/24/1939 till:12/30/1941 text:"Jose Yulo" color:NP
from:10/17/1943 till:02/03/1944 text:"Benigno Aquino, Sr." color:None
from:06/09/1945 till:12/30/1945 text:"Jose Zulueta" color:NP
from:05/25/1946 till:12/30/1953 text:"Eugenio Perez" color:LP
from:01/25/1954 till:12/30/1957 text:"Jose Laurel Jr." color:NP
from:01/27/1958 till:03/09/1962 text:"Daniel Romualdez" color:NP
from:03/09/1962 till:02/02/1967 text:"Cornelio Villareal" color:LP
from:02/02/1967 till:01/01/1971 text:"Jose Laurel Jr." color:NP
from:01/01/1971 till:09/21/1972 text:"Cornelio Villareal" color:LP
from:06/12/1978 till:06/30/1984 text:"Querube Macalintal" color:KBL
from:07/23/1984 till:03/25/1986 text:"Nicanor Yniguez" color:KBL
from:07/27/1987 till:06/30/1992 text:"Ramon Mitra" color:UNIDO
from:07/27/1992 till:06/30/1998 text:"Jose de Venecia" color:Lakas
from:07/27/1998 till:11/13/2000 text:"Manuel Villar Jr." color:PMP
from:11/13/2000 till:01/24/2001 text:"Arnulfo Fuentebella" color:NPC
from:01/24/2001 till:06/30/2001 text:"Feliciano Belmonte" color:Lakas
from:07/23/2001 till:02/05/2008 text:"Jose de Venecia" color:Lakas
from:02/05/2008 till:06/30/2010 text:"Prospero Nograles" color:Lakas
from:07/26/2010 till:06/30/2016 text:"Feliciano Belmonte" color:LP
from:07/25/2016 till:07/23/2018 text:"Pantaleon Alvarez" color:PDP
from:07/23/2018 till:06/30/2019 text:"Gloria Macapagal Arroyo" color:PDP
from:07/22/2019 till:10/12/2020 text:"Alan Peter Cayetano" color:NP
from:10/12/2020 till:06/30/2022 text:"Lord Allan Jay Velasco" color:PDP
from:07/25/2022 till:09/01/2024 text:"Martin Romualdez" color:Lakas

See also

* House of Representatives of the Philippines
* Deputy Speakers of the House of Representatives of the Philippines
* Majority Floor Leader of the House of Representatives of the Philippines
* Minority Floor Leader of the House of Representatives of the Philippines

Notes

References

{{Philippine House of Representatives

Legislative speakers in the Philippines
Philippines
Political office-holders in the Philippines