Belmonte denies offer from Duterte

House Speaker Sonny Belmonte Jr. INQUIRER PHOTO / LEO M. SABANGAN II

SPEAKER Feliciano Belmonte Jr. on Monday squelched talk he had sought or had been offered a position by President-elect Rodrigo Duterte during his courtesy call on the latter last week.

He said he intended to stay in the Liberal Party (LP), even though many of his colleagues had left to join Duterte’s PDP-Laban party in the majority coalition.

“Let me say for the record that I have never sought any position nor been offered any. I have also never issued any statement to this effect to anyone. And, in the event that an offer is made, I will respectfully decline the same,” he said in a statement.

Belmonte, who is poised to relinquish his post to Duterte’s pick for next Speaker, Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez, said the LP was still negotiating with PDP-Laban with regard to Liberals who wished to retain their LP membership. DJ Yap