Belmonte handa na vs PGMA sa speakership

MANILA, Philippines - Naniniwala si Quezon City Mayor at Representative-elect Feliciano Belmonte Jr. na tatalunin nito si Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo bilang speaker ng Kamara.

“We’ll give a good fight. History is actually on the side of the Liberal Party,” wika pa ni Mayor Belmonte na nanalo sa 4^th district ng QC.

Sinabi pa ni Belmonte, kumakalap na sila ng mga kaalyado mula sa Nacionalista Party, Nationalist Peoples Coalition (NPC) at maging sa Lakas-Kampi-CMD para masigurong matatalo nila si PGMA sa speakership ng Kamara.

Sa kasalukuyan ay mayroong 107 nanalong kongresista ang Lakas-Kampi-CMD.

Ipinaliwanag pa ni Belmonte, may pagkakataon na ang ruling party congressmen ay biglang lumilipat ng al­liances sa winning side.

“When I was elected congressman in 1992, the ruling party that time is also overwhelming—the majority is also over 100. Most of them are on the other side, on the winning side. During the fight of Joseph Estrada and former House Speaker Jose de Venecia, more than 100 lawmakers, including myself, were in the ruling party in Lakas. In no time at all a huge group over 70 headed by our Congressman Manny Villar move over to the other side,” paliwanag pa ni Belmonte.

Aniya, bagama’t maliit na partido lamang ang LP ay baka biglang magkaroon ng exodus mula sa Lakas-Kampi-CMD at lumipat sa LP.

Sinabi pa ni Belmonte, ang pagiging malapit niya sa ibang mga kongresista kahit mula sa ibang partido ang naging basehan ng kanyang kasamahan sa LP para siya ng ilaban na speaker.

“A lot of government officials live in QC and so I connected with them and that’s probably one of the reason why my name has been brought up as a possible contender for speakership position,” dagdag pa ni Belmonte.

Samantala, sinabi naman ng Malacañang na hind magiging hadlang sa legislative agenda ni incoming President Noynoy Aquino si Pangulong Arroyo bilang kongresista ng 2nd district ng Pampanga.

Ayaw din kumpirmahin ng Palasyo na may balak si Pangulong Arroyo na tumakbong speaker habang naunang kinumpirma ito ng kanyang bayaw na si Negros Occidential Rep. Ignacio Arroyo.

Sinabi naman ni Valenzuela City Rep. Rex Gatchalian, spokesman ng NPC, na susuportahan niya ang sinumang mamanukin ng NPC sa pagiging speaker.