Belmonte: Binay allies may stay with majority

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. won’t make any move to force allies of Vice President Jejomar Binay out of the majority coalition at the House of Representatives.

“No, we will leave everything to their own judgment,” he said of the members of Binay’s United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) who belong to the House majority, including the Vice President’s daughter, Makati Rep. Abigail Binay.

Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco, UNA’s interim president, is an independent.

Tiangco said he had not discussed the issue with his UNA party-mates, but added he would respect whatever decision each one of them makes.

“UNA members have never voted as a bloc. For us, the rule is always a conscience vote,” he said in a phone interview.

Tiangco noted that UNA lawmakers did not vote as a bloc during plenary voting on controversial measures such as the reproductive health bill in the previous Congress. They will also not vote as one once the Bangsamoro Basic Law is put to a vote on the plenary floor, he added.

Abigail Binay earlier said she would remain with the majority coalition unless asked to leave by Belmonte.

“Even if you are not allied with the administration, you can still be part of the majority” at the House, she said on Tuesday.

Besides Abigail Binay, other UNA members in the majority are Makati Rep. Monique Lagdameo, Parañaque Rep. Gus Tambunting, Iloilo Rep. Hernan Biron Jr., Laguna Rep. Sol Aragones, Cebu Rep. Gwendolyn Garcia, Agri party-list Rep. Delphine Lee, and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao.