Sonny Belmonte to remain an LP despite daughter bolting to Duterte party

Former House Speaker Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte Jr. will stay with the Liberal Party, even after his daughter, Quezon City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte, joined other LP members in bolting to the administration party, PDP-Laban.

The younger Belmonte said her father, a vice chair at LP, will be staying there for the duration of his final term as Quezon City sixth district representative.

“No he won’t [move to PDP-Laban],” the vice mayor said in a text message to GMA News Online.

“He will retire from politics after this last term. He will retire an LP [member],” she added.

As speaker, the older Belmonte was the top ally of former President Benigno Aquino III, former LP chair, at the House.

At the change of leadership last year, the LP saw its membership at the lower chamber go down from more than 100 lawmakers to at least 32, five of whom are now in the independent minority.

Belmonte led majority of the remaining LP solons in joining the House supermajority, led by his successor, Pantaleon Alvarez, an ally of President Rodrigo Duterte.

The LP House contingent had lost another five of its members this week. House Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas said they are expecting more members of the former ruling party to move to PDP-Laban. —NB, GMA News