Rep. Yedda Marie Kittilsvedt Romualdez is a former beauty queen and now serves in the House of Representatives under the Tingog Party-list. – Photo credit: Tingog Party-list / Office of Rep. Yedda Romualdez
After Martin Romualdez stepped down as Speaker of the House but remained a congressman, attention has shifted to his wife, Rep. Yedda Romualdez, whose political journey and family ties are again in the spotlight as she serves in Congress alongside her husband and their son under Tingog.
The resignation of Speaker Martin Romualdez not only reshaped the leadership of the House, it also shifted public attention to the personal life of one of the country’s most powerful political families. Although he stepped down as Speaker, Romualdez remains in Congress as representative of Leyte’s 1st District under Lakas-CMD. His departure from the top post has heightened interest in the role of his wife, Rep. Yedda Marie Kittilsvedt Romualdez, and their eldest son, Andrew Julian, both serving under Tingog Party-list.
The family’s presence on the House floor is rare in scope: a former Speaker in the district ranks, his spouse, and their son in a regional party-list bloc. It is a tableau that has sparked both fascination and criticism, raising questions about dynastic politics even as it underscores the family’s enduring influence.
Yedda’s path from Cebu to Congress
Born in Cebu City in 1973, Yedda Marie Mendoza Kittilsvedt was raised by her Cebuana mother, the sister of actress and beauty queen Pilar Pilapil, and her Norwegian father. Pilapil, crowned Binibining Pilipinas-Universe in 1967, is her maternal aunt and early connection to public life. Yedda later carved her own place on the global stage when she represented the Philippines at Miss International 1996 in Japan, reaching the Top 15.
Trained as a nurse at Cebu Doctors’ College, she initially pursued a medical career before shifting to politics. In 2016 she won a seat representing Leyte’s 1st District, succeeding her husband who previously held the position.
Yedda’s political journey with Tingog
Three years after her entry into politics, Yedda transitioned to the Tingog Party-list, a name that means “voice” in Waray, the regional language of Eastern Visayas. She became its first nominee and lone representative in the 18th Congress. Reelected in 2022, she helped expand Tingog’s national profile during her husband’s tenure as Speaker of the House.
In 2025, Tingog captured three seats, placing their eldest son Andrew Julian as first nominee. On July 18, 2025, Yedda was reinstated as third nominee after adjustments recognized by the Commission on Elections. This created an unusual family bloc in Congress, with Yedda and her son Andrew in party-list representation alongside Martin Romualdez as a district lawmaker.
For supporters, this ensures that Eastern Visayas interests are championed by a strong, unified voice. For critics, it underscores how the party-list system can be leveraged by established families.
A family story in the public eye
Martin Romualdez and Yedda Marie Kittilstvedt were married in a civil ceremony in Hong Kong in 1999, followed by a church wedding at Santuario de San Antonio in Makati in 2001. They have four children: Andrew Julian, Ferdinand Martin Jr. (“Marty”), Mariabella Gabrielle (“Minxie”), and Yedda Marie Danielle (“Maddey”).
Next chapter for the Romualdezes
With the House under new leadership, Yedda’s role has taken on greater weight. She has been associated with social service legislation, including measures to expand alternative learning systems, and continues to frame Tingog as a platform for regional voices. Yet with Martin’s resignation as Speaker, the spotlight falls less on policy detail and more on the spectacle of a family deeply embedded in Congress.
In the wake of Martin Romualdez’s exit from the speakership, questions remain not only about his political afterlife but also about how Yedda and Andrew will navigate their own paths in the same institution.
For Yedda, who once stood under stage lights with a sash, the stage today is larger, the stakes higher, and the scrutiny far less forgiving.
