Speaker says in jest: Grace has my heart

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., a vice chair of ruling Liberal Party, hints of a preference for Sen. Grace Poe to be the standard-bearer of the party in 2016. The Speaker has avoided making overt expressions of support for Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, the presumptive LP candidate. INQUIRER PHOTO

It was framed as a joke, but Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. hinted strongly of a preference for Sen. Grace Poe over Interior Secretary Mar Roxas to carry the colors of the Liberal Party in 2016.

“Well kung to the heart e di siyempre yung babae. Ewan ko yung iba riyan (Well, if it’s to the heart, of course, the woman. I don’t know about the others),” he said when asked who between Poe and Roxas he would support exclusively.

“But let’s face it, you know from a certain point of view, all those running are good friends of mine, and that’s why I have more or less kept away from this thing up to this point,” said Belmonte, a vice chair of the ruling Liberal Party.

Unlike other LP leaders at the House of Representatives, Belmonte has avoided making any overt expression of support for Roxas, the presumptive LP candidate, fueling speculations of a division within the party.

His remarks during the interview on Monday was the first time Belmonte made any vocal declaration of support for the freshman Senator Poe, who emerged last week as the frontrunner in the presidential race by topping both the Pulse Asia and Social Weather Stations surveys.

Poe toppled Binay, who had been hounded by allegations of corruption, from the leaderboard. Roxas placed fourth in the Pulse Asia survey, and third in SWS.

Liberal Party leaders had dismissed the survey results, noting two things: that Roxas had not yet announced his candidacy and that President Aquino had not yet officially endorsed the former as his favored successor.

But Belmonte, again eschewing the party position, said Roxas should not rely on Mr. Aquino’s endorsement and should just treat it as “added bonus.”

He added, however, that Roxas and Binay still had a good chance of beating Poe.

As the new frontrunner, Poe should watch out, as she would find herself a target of attack, Belmonte said.

“In the past, she was seen as a kid sister but now that she has become the person to beat, of course she has to do her best,” he said.

Belmonte defended Poe from comments, including one by Buhay Rep. Lito Atienza, that hers would be an “OJT (on the job training)” presidency, citing her work with the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board, and her three years so far as senator.

“I think she’s performing quite well. You will remember that your valued FOI (freedom of information) bill was her first major bill and it passed the Senate quite quickly and even in her Mamasapano report she spared nobody there. These things speak of her,” he said.

By comparison, he noted that Binay’s experience holding a national position was not all that extensive, as he had spent most of his political life holding a local executive post, as mayor of Makati City.

Belmonte said the prospective candidates should begin working hard to raise their profile as the time for submission of certificates of candidacy approached.

“We are really reaching the point where October is a very decisive point and that’s pretty close. They have to work overtime. They have to do their best,” he said.