House of Representatives Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez assured that Congress will continue with its probe aimed at uncovering issues and lowering the prices of rice, other food items, and electricity.
He made this promise as the 19th Congress resumed its session on Monday.
“Good governance demands transparency and accountability. This chamber is the vanguard of that principle. In the coming weeks, we will hold oversight hearings to ensure that the people’s money serves the people’s needs,” Romualdez said.
“We will investigate the smuggling and hoarding that undermine our farmers and inflate food prices. We will probe P206 billion in disallowed expenditures by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), ensuring energy reforms that lower electricity costs,” he added.
He said that his chamber demands “answers for P11.18 billion worth of expired medicines and underutilized PhilHealth funds—an affront to every Filipino who struggles for access to healthcare.”
“And we will scrutinize the alleged misuse of confidential funds, for no peso must go unaccounted for,” he added.
The Quinta Committee and the Committee on Ways and Means have started investigating the rising prices of rice and other agricultural products, along with electricity costs and alleged violations by NGCP of its legislative franchise.
“Let this be our promise: public trust is sacred, and this House will never betray it,” Romualdez said.
“Sa mga umaatake sa atin para tumigil tayo sa mga imbestigasyon, may mensahe tayo sa kanila, itutuloy natin ang trabahong ini-atang sa atin ng mamamayan. Hindi tayo aatras sa anumang laban para sa bayan,” he said.
The House Speaker expressed pride in the accomplishments of the House in 2024.
“Last year, our nation weathered storms yet remained resilient,” he said.
Romualdez noted that the country’s growth trajectory showed “a solid growth rate in the range of 5.9% to 6.5%, despite the challenges brought about by a series of typhoons and global economic uncertainties.”
“This performance is a testament to the industriousness of every Filipino farmer, worker, and entrepreneur who continue to drive our economy forward,” he said.
“This growth is the fruit of visionary leadership under President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and his transformative Build, Better, More infrastructure program, which injected over P1.2 trillion into projects that now connect dreams to opportunities across the archipelago,” he emphasized.