Belmonte daughter, nephew backing Roxas

While the voters’ preference survey ratings of Interior Secretary Mar Roxas might not be good enough for Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., his experience and accomplishments are supported by Belmonte’s daughter and nephew.

“I’ve already informed Secretary Roxas that if he needs my assistance for any of his sorties or to represent him in any function, I’d be happy to do that,” Quezon City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte told the Inquirer on Tuesday.

The House leader and vice chair of the ruling Liberal Party (LP) earlier said Roxas “should prove his winnability by a dramatic increase in ratings.” Otherwise, Sen. Grace Poe will be unstoppable just like President Aquino in the 2010 elections.

In what seemed like a departure from his uncle’s position, Quezon City Rep. Jose Christopher “Kit” Belmonte said he entertained no second thoughts about Roxas as the presumptive LP candidate.

Not popularity

“Popularity is not the way to choose a President for a country trying so hard to be lifted out of poverty and a country trying so hard to reach its full potentials,” the younger Belmonte said in a statement.

But in an ambush interview, he clarified his remarks by saying the Speaker’s words could be interpreted as a “challenge” to the LP and Roxas to work harder to improve the latter’s standing in voters’ preference surveys.

Vice Mayor Belmonte said her support for Roxas was not in conflict with the “challenge” posed by her father to the presumptive administration candidate.

“I think that it does not contradict my support for Secretary Roxas. My father was just saying he (Roxas) should try to translate his accomplishments into numbers, to convince people that his accomplishments make him worthy of the presidency. That’s more of a challenge, I think,” she said.

Consider Roxas sacrifice

The vice mayor said she hoped the President would consider the sacrifice made by Roxas when he gave way to Aquino as LP standard-bearer in the 2010 presidential election.

But at the end of the day, party members will support whomever the President will endorse, the vice mayor said.

“While he hasn’t made a final announcement, longtime party members are helping Secretary Mar,” she said.

“I would like eventually for our country to be composed of leaders who actually respect party politics rather than personalities,” she said.

Aside from party affiliation, she said Roxas was the most experienced and qualified among the considered candidates.

‘Father of BPO industry’

“Quezon City is one of the cities that have benefited from the BPO (business process outsourcing) industry. And I know he’s the father of the BPO industry,” she said.

While the Speaker noted the freshman Senator Poe’s rise in popularity, he also described Roxas as the most qualified of the prospective presidential candidates who can give an “effective, honest government that will make a difference,” Kit Belmonte said.

He said the gains made by the country during the Aquino presidency should be entrusted to someone with integrity and experience “at this very delicate stage.”

“Let us not jeopardize what we have started and I think Senator Poe will agree,” the younger Belmonte said.

The LP has been trying to woo Poe to be Roxas’ running mate. While saying she has yet to arrive at a decision, Poe has indicated she would rather be an independent and is more comfortable with Sen. Francis Escudero as her running mate.

But Kit Belmonte said Poe “needs” Roxas to learn from.

“It is important for Senator Poe to gain the necessary experience so she can continue daang matuwid (straight path) if she really wants to be President after 2022,” he said.

“What the party has always focused on during discussions of who shall be the standard-bearer for 2016 is the continuity of the programs that have been started during this administration,” he said.

“And I believe that despite the political noise, it is also what the people want, continuity, and that comfort level that governance will not be disrupted when [President Aquino] steps down,” he added.–With a report from Veronica Roques, trainee