MANILA - House Speaker Martin Romualdez is prepared to fight for the House of Representatives.

He broke his silence weeks after former President Rodrigo Duterte criticized the House of Representatives for its use of extraordinary funds and decision to realign the confidential and intelligence funds of Vice President Sara Duterte's offices.

"Tatayo ako laban sa sinuman na mananakot sa atin para masunod lamang ang gusto nila. Titindig ako — tayong lahat— para sa kapakanan ng bayan," Romualdez said as he addressed the first working plenary session of the House after it returned from its congressional break.

"I am prepared to stand before anyone and vehemently defend our actions and decisions, even in the face of issues that threaten our institution’s integrity," Romualdez said.

"But let it be said, never must we countenance or allow others not so likely-minded individuals who choose to malign or put down the image of this institution and dictate the direction we must go. I urge everyone to rally behind our true moral compass – the will of the Filipino people," Romualdez also said.

"Nagkakaiba man tayo ng pananaw at paniniwala, nagkakaisa tayong tumitindig kung inaatake ang ating institusyon. Hindi rin natin papayagan ang sinuman na pigilan tayo sa paggampan ng ating mandato sa ating mga kababayan," he said.

At the same time, the Speaker assured the public that there was nothing personal in the House's decision on the younger Duterte's budget, coming as it did months after she left Romualdez's party the Lakas CMD after the House demoted her ally, former President Gloria Arroyo from the Senior Deputy Speakership.

"Wala pong personalan dito. Trabaho lang," Romualdez added.

While the House chief did not refer to anyone by name, the House Speaker referred to threats made against the institution and its members. House Deputy Minority Leader France Castro recently sued the former chief executive for "grave threats" against her.

"As you are well aware, despite all the hard work we have done to accomplish the goals we have set, certain sectors or individuals with misplaced priorities choose to malign and tarnish the positive image of this very institution which we labored hard to achieve," Romualdez said.

He reiterated that he will continue to pursue unity and ensure a fair and equitable distribution of government resources .

"I emphasized then that the politics of division has no place in this chamber; this still holds to this day, only now I reiterate this with a stronger resolve and greater conviction," Romualdez added.

He went on to defend the chamber's decision to make over P194.52 billion in changes to the P5.768 trillion 2024 national budget, saying that the House "did not miss a beat in dissecting, scrutinizing, and deliberating" the 2024 budget proposal.

"The House was never lenient, nor did it favor anyone," Romualdez said.

He urged his colleagues to be unperturbed by the criticisms against them.

"Let not our hard work be undermined by a dissatisfied few whose only intention is to sow divisiveness. Instead, let our outputs speak for our loyalty to our country, the constitution, and the entire Filipino people," Romualdez said.

For the House chief, sticking to the President's agenda will be their key defense against critics.

"By complementing the legislative agenda of the President we stay true to our sworn duty despite pressure from all fronts," Romualdez said.

Earlier in his speech, Romualdez shared the recent popularity of the House of Representatives reflected in recent surveys with his colleagues as he recalled their legislative achievements before the break.

Among these, the approval of all the twenty (20) LEDAC priority measures three months ahead of schedule, the passage on third and final reading of the 2024 general appropriations bill, and the approval of 10 out of 17 measures identified by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in his State of the Nation Address in July.