Romero remains richest lawmaker

MANILA, Philippines — Deputy Speaker Mikee Romero remains the richest congressman in the country for the fourth consecutive year.

The 1-Pacman party-list representative has kept his slot in the latest list of 50 richest Filipinos drawn up by Forbes magazine.

The congressional leader placed 46th in the list with a net worth of $135 million or P6.5 billion.

This is the third consecutive year that Romero was recognized as the richest congressman in the country – with assets coming from his success as an entrepreneur before becoming a legislator in 2016.

“I have no words, but simply to thank God Almighty for blessing me with a clear mind and health to become His instrument in helping the needy,” he told The STAR before the weekend.

Just recently, the head of the party-list bloc in Congress also set another record after logging over 700 bills in the House of Representatives since he became a legislator in 2016.

Records from the Bill and Index section of the lower chamber showed that 47 of Romero’s bills have been enacted into laws by President Duterte.

Among these were the law extending validity of driver’s license to five years, Free Irrigation Act, Philippine Sports Training Act, PhilHealth coverage for all persons with disabilities and the recent Bayanihan 1 and 2 laws that helped Filipinos cope with the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.

“I also would like thank the President for approving my proposed laws,” Romero added.

The House leader vowed to continue crafting more laws, especially those that would help Filipinos recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.