50 NPC men for Belmonte as Speaker

MANILA, Philippines - All 50 members of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) in the House of Representatives have voted to support the bid of Quezon City Rep. Feliciano Belmonte Jr. for the speakership.                    

“All 50 of us will join the majority. We will be part of the Belmonte coalition,” party spokesman Valenzuela Rep. Rex Gatchalian told a news forum in Quezon City.

In the previous Congress, NPC members were divided between the administration and opposition blocs.        

Gatchalian said the NPC members supporting Belmonte include representatives from party-lists Abono, An Waray, 1-Care, and LPG Marketers Association.

An Waray representative Florencio Noel, a fraternity brother of incoming Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II, helped gather supporters for Belmonte’s speakership bid.               

His wife, Malabon Rep. Jaye Lacson Noel, had decided early on to support Belmonte.

Gonzales said Belmonte would most likely obtain the highest number of votes cast for a candidate for speaker in the history of the post-martial law Congress.                          

Liberal Party (LP) membership in the House increased because of defections from the former ruling party Lakas-Kampi-CMD.

The new ruling party now has 80 members, double from the previous Congress. Militant groups led by Bayan Muna are also supporting Belmonte.

Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, Lakas candidate for speaker, admitted that because of the defections, he does not have the numbers to win the speakership race but would continue with his bid “for the steadfast Lakas members and our allies.”