Belmonte vows tighter regulation of ‘pork’

MANILA, Philippines - Quezon City fourth district Rep. Feliciano Belmonte Jr. was elected anew as Speaker of the House of Representatives yesterday.

Belmonte urged his colleagues to unite behind the Aquino administration, which could be facing difficulties in its last three years.

Belmonte also called for stricter rules and greater transparency in the disbursement of the pork barrel fund amid controversies regarding its use.

In his acceptance speech after obtaining 245 votes out of 267 lawmakers present, Belmonte said the 16th Congress coincides with the second half of President Aquino’s six-year term “and these three years are sometimes more difficult to manage because whiffs of the next election hang in the air.”

“This time might not be too different. Nevertheless, I call upon all of you, my colleagues, to unite behind this administration’s and our reform agenda in the interest of our people so that the 16th Congress, along with President Aquino’s term of office, ends not with a strikeout, but with a home run,” he said.

“Reforms in governance cannot be neglected. Government leaders must now augment our ‘kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap (if there are no corrupt, there are no poor)’ battle cry with ‘walang kukurap (no blinking),’ and marshal greater support for the President’s agenda toward a clean, honest, efficient and responsive public bureaucracy,” he said.

Belmonte cited the need for greater spending in public infrastructure and facilities, including by members of Congress, while ensuring that every centavo of taxpayers’ money is not wasted or pocketed.

He also vowed that under his leadership, the chamber would pass more laws to discourage corruption.

“We must nurture a legal ethos that mandates and extols prudence in spending, and transparency and accountability in the use of public funds, especially in the use of the Priority Development Assistance Fund or PDAF,” Belmonte said, referring to the pork barrel.

He said strict obedience to tighter guidelines in the use of the PDAF “is the strongest guarantee of efficiency, ensuring that each peso spent generates exponential returns for our people.”

Belmonte earlier suggested that congressmen spend their pork only within their districts to prevent corruption, and proposed that PDAF spending rules be reviewed regularly.

The House leader added that the chamber’s task in the next three years must be “to resist the costly temptation of resting on our laurels, to inspire greater belief in our collective capacity for greater accomplishment within our country and outside, and to marshal government resources towards making possible a more vibrant and resilient economy and people.”

‘Turnaround specialist’

First to nominate Belmonte for speaker was Western Samar Rep. Mel Senen Sarmiento, who said the country still faces difficult challenges that the House must respond to.

Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr., who also nominated the Speaker, described him as a “turnaround specialist” for rehabilitating firms in financial straits when he was both in the private and public sector in the past, like Philippine Airlines (PAL) and the Social Security System (SSS).

“As how he was able to do it, I would not repeat the urban legend about his management style, as rumors that the ‘S’ in ‘SB’ stands for stingy, or strict, or stern are still unconfirmed,” Andaya said, referring to Belmonte’s initials.

“Some of us may be rehired, some of us will be fired. It is up to our employers to make that decision. But it is up to us to choose a leader who will bring the best in us in the next 1,000 days and thereby boost our chances of getting rehired instead of being retired,” he said.

Also seconding the nomination were Rep. Henry Cojuangco, Janet Garin, Abigail Binay, Franz Alvarez, and Rodolfo Fariñas. – With John Unson, Roel Pareño

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. poses with his family after the Quezon City congressman was elected as speaker of the House of Representatives yesterday. ERNIE PENAREDONDO