ALVAREZ
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. has said majority of Liberal Party members in the House of Representatives are shifting their support for the Congress leadership bid of incoming Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon “Bebot” Alvarez.
In a text message on Friday, Belmonte, who is also Liberal Party vice chair, said that with majority of the numbers favoring Alvarez, even he was sure the Mindanao congressman would be the next speaker.
Belmonte is seeking to reclaim his post, counting on the numbers of around 100 Liberals, but it looks like he has conceded to the anointed speaker of presumptive President-elect Rodrigo Duterte.
Confirming that he met with the speaker aspirant in his house on Thursday, Belmonte said many Liberals were planning to shift to the majority to vote for Alvarez, one of three members of Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) in the next 17th Congress.
“We talked at my house yesterday. I told him most of the Liberal Party bloc would like to join the majority and support the Duterte administration and him for speaker,” Belmonte said.
“I’m sure he will be the next speaker,” Belmonte added.
Asked about Alvarez’s claim that no less than 50 or half of the Liberals in the incoming 17th Congress had shifted their support to PDP-Laban, Belmonte said, “maybe more.”
If Belmonte loses to Alvarez, he will be the minority leader in Congress, according to the House rules. /INQUIRER.NET