Zamora seen to get House minority post

MANILA, Philippines - San Juan Rep. Ronaldo Zamora emerged last night as the most likely leader of the minority or opposition bloc in the House of Representatives.

Zamora won the swing votes of seven members of the Makabayan coalition, comprising representatives of five militant party-list organizations.

Members of the coalition, which former Bayan Muna congressman Satur Ocampo heads, met yesterday afternoon and decided to support the San Juan congressman.

Isabela Rep. Rodito Albano, a staunch supporter of Zamora, said the Makabayan group conveyed its decision to Zamora last night.

He said his candidate met earlier in the day with his minority opponent, Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, and the two agreed that whoever won the Makabayan group would be the minority leader.

“They are scheduled to meet again tomorrow to agree on the nomination process – basically who will nominate Ronnie for Speaker,” he said, referring to Zamora.

The former executive secretary will be up against Quezon City Rep. Feliciano Belmonte Jr., who is expected to keep his post as Speaker when the House elects its officers tomorrow.

The candidate who gets the second highest number of votes becomes the minority leader.

Even with his swing votes, Zamora may receive fewer than 20 votes. His camp was counting on up to 10 supporters before Makabayan decided to go with him.

He was a natural ally of the seven militant lawmakers, since he won under a local political group but is identified with the Nacionalista Party.

Romualdez, on the other hand, belongs to Lakas, whose titular head is detained former president and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. He is also a nephew of former first lady and Ilocos Norte Rep. Imelda Romualdez Marcos.

Makabayan naturally did not want to be identified with Arroyo or Marcos.

In supporting Zamora, the seven Makabayan representatives said they find “common grounds” with him in opposing the conditional cash transfer, privatization of public hospitals, violent demolitions of informal settlers and in pressing for national industrialization, modernization of agriculture, the release of all political prisoners, and the resumption of peace talks between the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front.

“We have experienced working with Rep. Zamora as minority leader in the 14th Congress. We have been together in the many battles to oust and hold accountable the illegitimate regime of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo,” they said.

“We are confident that we can again work with him as he recognizes and respects our independence and principled stand on peoples’ issues,” they added.

The seven are Neri Colmenares and Carlos Zarate of Bayan Muna, Luz Ilagan and Emmi de Jesus of Gabriela, Antonio Tinio of ACT Teachers, Fernando Hicap of Anakpawis, and Terry Ridon of Kabataan.

Zamora and Romualdez had asked for the support of the Makabayan bloc for the minority leadership, with Belmonte getting assurance of getting re-elected as Speaker.

“We believe that we can more effectively unmask and oppose Aquino’s anti-Filipino, anti-people and deceptive policies as part of the minority,” the group said.

Makabayan also vowed to block moves of the administration bloc in the House of Representatives to amend the Constitution to make it more foreign investor friendly. Belmonte earlier filed a resolution calling for amendments to the economic provisions of the Charter.

“We will oppose the legislative agenda and policies of the administration which favor foreign banks and corporations, big business, landlords and corrupt bureaucrats,” the group added.

Meanwhile, Belmonte is expected to get a fresh mandate from his peers as House Speaker when the 16th Congress opens its first regular session tomorrow.

Belmonte is seen to obtain no less than 260 votes from the 292 House members, including those from the party-list lawmakers, Mandaluyong City Rep. Neptali Gonzales Jr. said yesterday.

Gonzales is likely to keep his post as majority leader.

Belmonte recalled that when he was first elected speaker in 2001, he obtained a simple majority vote from the House.

“I hope it will be somewhat better,” he told reporters.

The bulk of his votes will come from the Liberal Party, which has about 110 House members, Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), National Unity Party, Nacionalista Party, United Nationalist Alliance, Centrist Democratic Party, and more than two-thirds of the party-list lawmakers.

There are only 13 House members belonging to Lakas. But three of them belong to the majority and will vote for Belmonte.

According to House records, 234 incumbent district representatives were re-elected, 25 are returning members, while 66 are neophytes. Lawmakers from party-list groups were counted at 58. – With Paolo Romero