How the Romualdezes held their political grip on Leyte for generations

During his fifth SONA, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced the imminent filing of charges against his cousin, former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez The Romualdez family has a long-standing political influence in Leyte, with multiple family members holding significant positions in government over the decades. The Romualdez clan continues to secure positions in local government, with a new generation of family members winning elections in 2025. This is AI-generated. Read the article for full context. Report any errors. Editor’s note: This is part of a Rappler series on Filipino families that have held political power for generations. The series traces how they built their influence, where it is strongest, and how it has endured over time. Each profile examines family ties, political networks, business interests, and roles in local and national government. On July 27, 2026, before millions of Filipinos who were listening to his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. announced the potential filing of charges against his first cousin, former House of Representatives Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez. “Dumating na tayo sa punto na ayon sa Ombudsman, malapit na ang paghain ng patong-patong na kaso laban sa dating [House] speaker. Masakit man sa akin ito, ngunit kailangan natin gawin ang tama.” (We have reached the point where, according to the Ombudsman, the filing of multiple cases against the former [House] speaker is imminent. As painful as this is for me, we need to do what is right.) The cases are in connection with the alleged flood control anomalies. Romualdez, who represents the 1st district of the province of Leyte, has been described by the Ombudsman as “the central figure in a scheme built on the diversion of public funds meant for flood control projects.” Martin’s involvement in the anomalies is one of the key reasons why doubts persist on whether Marcos can follow through on promises he made to go after those involved in the scandal. In Leyte, where the Romualdez family has shaped the province’s political landscape for decades, the President’s statement during the latest SONA could test the strength of its local alliances and influence over provincial politics. Romualdezes in Leyte’s civic landscape The Romualdez family’s political dominance over the province predates the presidency of Bongbong’s father, the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos. It can be traced back to its patriarch Daniel Arcilla Romualdez and matriarch Trinidad Lopez, whose sons – Norberto, Miguel, and Vicente Orestes Romualdez – occupied influential positions in law, government, and public service during the early 20th century. BROTHERS IN POWER. Siblings Norberto Romualdez (left), Miguel Romualdez (center) and Vicente Orestes Romualdez (right) held influential positions. Source: Wikimedia Vicente is the father of Imelda Remedios Visitacion Romualdez-Marcos, first lady to the late dictator, and mother of Marcos Jr.. The Romualdez legacy has been memorialized across provincial landmarks that bear the family name. It is immediately evident to visitors arriving in Tacloban City, where the airport bears the name of the late Daniel Z. Romualdez, also a former speaker of the House of Representatives. Daniel was Imelda’s cousin. He was the son of Imelda’s uncle Miguel and the latter’s wife, Brigida Zialcita. There are other critical landmarks. Justice Romualdez Street honors Justice Norberto Romualdez Sr., who took part in drafting the 1935 Constitution. A memorial hall at the Eastern Visayas State University commemorates Miguel Romualdez. Meanwhile, the Don Orestes Romualdez Electric Cooperative (DORELCO) bears the name of Imelda’s father, Vicente Orestes Romualdez. Vicente married twice. His first wife was with Doña Juanita Acedera, with whom Vicente had five children: Lourdes, Vicente Jr., Dulce, Victoria, and Francisco. He later married Doña Remedios Trinidad, with whom he had six children. Apart from Imelda, their offspring included Benjamin, Alfredo, Alita, Armando, and Conchita. Benjamin, also known as “Kokoy,” was the father of Martin Romualdez. Alfredo, known as “Bejo,” was the father of Alfred Sison Romualdez, the incumbent mayor of Tacloban City. Martin, Alfred, and Bongbong are pinsaang-buo or first cousins. All in the family Since 1995, the only time the Romualdez clan did not occupy the congressional seat of Leyte’s 1st district was between 2001 to 2007. Imelda herself served as Leyte’s 1st District representative from 1995 to 1998. She was succeeded by her nephew Alfred, who served from 1998 to 2001. The congressional seat then went initially to Mario Teodoro Failon Etong (Ted Failon), who served from 2001 to 2004; and later to Remedios L. Petilla, who served from 2004 to 2007. Then in 2007, the seat went back to a Romualdez: incumbent Representative Martin Romualdez. Until the present, the position has been held either by Martin and his wife, Yedda Marie Romualdez. In all, Martin’s immediate family currently has three seats in Congress. ROMUALDEZES IN THE HOUSE. Martin Romualdez with his wife Yedda and son Andrew Julian show off the ink on their respective index fingers, indicating that they voted in the 2019 national and local elections. Photo Courtesy of Tingog Partylist/Facebook Page Martin won the congressional seat in the 2007, 2010, and 2013 elections. In 2016, he stepped down due to term limits. Rather than relinquishing the district, his wife Yedda successfully sought the same office and served one term from 2016 to 2019. Martin returned in 2019 and has since been reelected in 2022 and in 2025. Yedda, for her part, is currently serving her fourth term as a member of Congress. She managed to get around the usual term limits through careful strategy. Yedda initially served as congressional district representative before going on to serve as representative of the Tingog partylist. She was the first nominee of Tingog for two consecutive terms from 2019 to 2022, and from 2022 to 2025. In the 2025 elections, the Tingog partylist was able to secure three seats for the first time. In 2019, it only won one seat. In 2022, it was able to win two seats. Two of the three seats secured by Tingog in 2025 went to the Romualdez family. Martin and Yedda’s son, Andrew Julian Romualdez, became the first nominee. The second nominee was Jude A. Acidre. Yedda was placed sixth on the party-list slate. However, Tingog’s 3rd, 4th, and 5th nominees resigned after the elections, allowing Yedda to move up the list. Dynastic succession The same pattern emerges in the Tacloban City government, where descendants of Vicente Romualdez are also holding office. Imelda’s late brother, Alfredo “Bejo” Romualdez, held the position for three consecutive terms: 1998 to 2001, 2001 to 2004, and 2004 to 2007. After Bejo hit the term limit, his son, Alfred Sison Romualdez, succeeded, and also held the same position for three consecutive terms from 2007 to 2016.While Alfred was serving as mayor, his wife, Christina Gonzales-Romualdez served as a city councilor for three consecutive terms from 2007 to 2010, 2010 to 2013, and 2013 to 2016. OATHTAKING. Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez with wife Cristina at the Panaad Sa Nasud (Oath-taking) Ceremony on June 15, 2022. Screenshot taken from the video published on the Facebook page of Tingog Partylist. Then, like his cousin Martin, Alfred took a hiatus from politics when his term limit was up. The family then fielded Alfred’s wife, Christina, who served as mayor of Tacloban City from 2016 to 2019. In the 2019 elections, Alfred came back and won the elections as Tacloban mayor for three more consecutive terms from 2019 to 2028. He is now serving his final term. New generation While the family’s sway over national politics hangs in balance following the statements made by Marcos during his SONA, the Romualdez clan’s longevity in local politics seems assured as the new generation of Romualdezes joined the political fray and won in the 2025 elections. Apart from Andrew, another son of Martin and Yedda, Ferdinand Martin “Marty” Romualdez Jr., also ran and won for a seat in the Tacloban City Council. Meantime, Raymund Romualdez, son of Alfred and Cristina, was elected vice mayor of Tacloban City. Their victories deepened the family’s reach across multiple levels of government in the province. More significantly, the results suggest that the dynasty’s succession strategy is working: from relying primarily on spouses, it is now elevating a new generation of family heirs. – Rappler.com Jennifer Jezreel Kaye Pading is an economics student at Visayas State University in Baybay City in Leyte. An Aries Rufo Journalism Fellow for 2026, she is also the executive editor of Amaranth and community officer of AYEJ-Leyte Panaad Ha Sinirangan.