Speakership race: Belmonte surprised by Aquino’s endorsement

Speaker Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte Jr. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – As the race for the House leadership heats up, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said he was surprised to receive an endorsement from President Benigno Aquino III.

“I was not expecting it,” he said, describing the President to have not made any hint previously that he would endorse Belmonte for Speaker of the House in the 16th Congress.

“I was seated next to him. We were chatting and he gave no intimation of his endorsement. He praised me before an LP (Liberal Party) group that included about 90 congressmen,” recalled Belmonte.

They had lunch with Aquino at Malacañang Monday. It was during this meeting that the President announced that he wanted Belmonte to head the House of Representative for a second time.

The passage of highly controversial measures such as the Reproductive Health Law and the Sin Tax Law during the 15th Congress gave Belmonte an even better chance at regaining his post as Speaker of the House, said LP spokesperson Eastern Samar Representative Ben Evardone.

“[Aquino] cited the pivotal role of SB (Speaker Belmonte) in passing vital bills like RH and sin tax which previous Congresses failed to pass,” he said.

“It is one of the reasons, I think. The main reason was his effective and outstanding leadership,” Evardone added.

Leyte Representative Ferdinand Martin Romualdez of the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) party is Belmonte’s lone rival for the speakership.

But Romualdez was not even vying for the post itself and was only after the leadership of the minority bloc, outgoing minority leader Danilo Suarez recently said.