Belmonte inclined to lead opposition bloc

MANILA, Philippines – Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said yesterday he was “inclined” to lead the opposition bloc in the House of Representatives in the 17th Congress.

Belmonte was responding to questions from reporters on his political plans in the House, where he is expected to be replaced as speaker by Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez when the new Congress opens on July 25.

“My natural inclination is to be the leader of the minority because to be very frank, it can’t be that there will be no minority in Congress,” he said.

One becomes the leader of the minority or opposition bloc in the House if one runs for speaker and loses. The members of the bloc are those who voted for the losing candidate for speaker.

Alvarez, who is the choice of president-elect Rodrigo Duterte to lead the chamber, earlier said he expects at least 200 lawmakers – many of whom were identified with the outgoing Aquino administration – to vote for him.

Belmonte recalled that when he was elected speaker in 2010 or a few months after President Aquino was sworn into office, there were proposals to form a “government national unity,” which meant there would be no minority bloc in Congress.

“People told me, ‘We will join you (majority) and there will be no more opposition. We will all be together so we can do what we want.’ I rejected that immediately and I said, ‘This will no longer be a democracy if there’s no more opposition.’”

He said in the event he becomes the minority leader, he will be cooperative and give “the new president all the chances to make good on what he is saying, short of violating the law or the Constitution.”

“Because we really – the people – expect so much from him, and far be it for me to stand in the way insofar as that is concerned,” he said.

Passing of the guard

The 16th Congress will hold its last session next Monday, paving the way for the entry of the new batch of senators in the 17th Congress.

Senate President Franklin Drilon said that the sine die adjournment of the 16th Congress would be on Monday, the same day that the House would adjourn its own sessions.

Under the legislative calendar approved by Congress for the third regular session of the 16th Congress, the sine die adjournment of sessions is supposed to be on June 10.

It is not clear if there are matters that would still be taken up by the Senate in Monday’s plenary session since most, if not all, of the bills calendared for third and final reading have already been approved.

However, the session could serve as an opportunity for the senators whose terms are ending to deliver their farewell speeches.

Ending their terms as senators will be Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile, Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Pia Cayetano, Jinggoy Estrada, Teofisto Guingona III, Manuel Lapid, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Sergio Osmeña III and Ramon Revilla Jr.

A new set of senators will be coming in for the 17th Congress, namely Joel Villanueva, Leila de Lima, Risa Hontiveros, Manny Pacquiao, Sherwin Gatchalian, Richard Gordon, Juan Miguel Zubiri, Francis Pangilinan and Panfilo Lacson.

Before the adjournment of session on Monday, senators and congressmen who are members of the Commission on Appointments would meet today for the confirmation hearings of the foreign service officers and senior officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. – With Marvin Sy, Christina Mendez