The powerplay of the new Marcos regime unfolds 36 years after its ouster. With the majority of the senate under its political command, the House of Representatives is ripe for the taking. Incoming Congresswoman Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo now assists in installing another heir of the Marcos legacy as Speaker of the House – Martin Romualdez, the son of the late mining magnate Benjamin Romualdez.
Aside from being the ambassador of Marcos Sr. to the United States, the late Romualdez was also the Chief Executive Officer of Benguet Corporation, a copper and gold mining behemoth that the Marcoses used to hoard their wealth. Martin Romualdez is the heir to the Benguet Corporation brand of environmental destruction.
With the progressive opposition further marginalized by the worst electoral fraud in recent history, the Congress is expected to be a rubber stamp fast lane for plunderers and thieves. We call on the Filipino public to brace themselves and be ready to stop destructive projects on the frontlines at the local level.
