MANILA, Philippines – Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte is promoting the possible House speakership of yet another politician.

The presidential daughter introduced former Leyte representative Martin Romualdez as the next House Speaker during a Hugpong ng Pagbabago campaign rally in Tacloban City on Tuesday, March 19.

“Si Congressman Martin Romualdez ang susunod na Speaker ng House of Representatives (Congressman Martin Romualdez will be the next Speaker of the House of Representatives),” she said onstage, with Romualdez present.

Romualdez is running for Leyte 1st District representative.

Sara rode her motorcycle to Tacloban from Catarman in Northern Samar.

LOOK: Davao City mayor Sara Duterte drove her motorcycle from Catarman to Tacloban where she is holding Hugpong ng Pagbabago campaign rallies, according to former Leyte congressman Martin Romualdez. | Photos from Martin Romualdez’s Facebook page @rapplerdotcom pic.twitter.com/hwBr6q0RhS

— Pia Ranada (@piaranada) March 19, 2019

What about Velasco, Cayetano?

Curiously, Duterte and her father had also promoted the speakership bid of Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco, a family friend and one of their allies in Congress.

Velasco has been a constant presence in HNP sorties and frequently takes on the task of introducing HNP senatorial candidates onstage.

Sara had also said she would back the speakership bid of former foreign secretary Alan Peter Cayetano. Cayetano had said the President gave his blessing for him to become the next Speaker.

Eventually, Sara said she would support her father’s choice for Speaker.

After the Tacloban event, Sara said she supports “all” of those politicians aspiring to be Speaker, as long as they are pro-administration.

“I think we also support Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano because he is also interested to be Speaker…I think the best time to talk about that is after the elections but they are the ones we are hearing about who are interested to help the administration of President Duterte and interested to become speaker,” she said.

But PDP-Laban, her father’s national political party, is grooming 7 of its members to take the House speakership. They are the following:

• Lord Allan Velasco (Marinduque)
• Ronald Zamora (San Juan)
• Alex Advincula (3rd District, Cavite)
• Bambol Tolentino (7th District, Cavite)
• Ricky Sandoval (Malabon)
• Lucy Torres (4th District, Leyte)
• Aurelio Gonzales Jr (3rd District, Pampanga)

– Rappler.com