Feliciano Belmonte Jr. Explained

Honorific-Prefix:The Honorable
Feliciano R. Belmonte Jr.
Order:18th
Office:Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines
President:Benigno Aquino III
Term Start:July 26, 2010
Term End:June 30, 2016
Predecessor:Prospero Nograles
Successor:Pantaleon Alvarez
President2:Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
Term Start2:January 24, 2001
Term End2:June 30, 2001
Predecessor2:Arnulfo Fuentebella
Successor2:Jose de Venecia Jr.
Office3:Member of the Philippine House of Representatives from Quezon City's 4th district
Term Start3:June 30, 2010
Term End3:June 30, 2019
Predecessor3:Nanette Castelo-Daza
Successor3:Bong Suntay
Term Start4:June 30, 1992
Term End4:June 30, 2001
Predecessor4:Ismael A. Mathay Jr.
Successor4:Nanette Castelo-Daza
Order5:9th
Office5:Mayor of Quezon City
1Namedata5:Herbert Bautista
Term Start5:June 30, 2001
Term End5:June 30, 2010
Predecessor5:Ismael A. Mathay Jr.
Successor5:Herbert Bautista
Office6:President of the Government Services Insurance System
Term Start6:1986
Term End6:1992
Appointer6:Corazon C. Aquino
Birth Name:Fernando Feliciano Racimo Belmonte Jr.
Birth Date:2 October 1936
Birth Place:Tondo, Manila, Philippine Commonwealth[1]
Nationality:Filipino
Party:Liberal
Otherparty:Lakas–CMD (1992–2009)
Relations:Jose Christopher Belmonte (nephew)
Dennis Belmonte (brother)
Children:4 (including Joy)
Residence:Quezon City
Education:Lyceum of the Philippines University (LL.B)
Profession:Lawyer
Honorific Suffix:KGCR

Fernando Feliciano "Sonny" Racimo Belmonte Jr., KGCR (born October 2, 1936) is a Filipino politician who served as the 18th speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from January to June 2001 and from 2010 to 2016. As a Congressman, Belmonte represented Quezon City's 4th congressional district from 1992 to 2001 and 2010 to 2016. Between his two stints in Congress, Belmonte served as the ninth mayor of Quezon City.

Early life and career

Belmonte was born at 1:35 p.m. on October 2, 1936, at Emmanuel Community Hospital in Tondo, Manila, to judge Feliciano Belmonte Sr. and Luz Racimo.[1] Belmonte began studying at age seven and he attended grade school in Baguio and earned his high school diploma at the San Beda University in Manila. He finished Law at the Lyceum of the Philippines University; while in law school, he worked as a reporter at the Manila Chronicle, covering the police beat and events at the Philippine Commission on Elections.

At age 25, Belmonte began his law career after taking the bar examination, which he passed with a score of 85.55 percent. He began his government service as the presidential staff assistant of President Diosdado Macapagal. He also worked as a special assistant for the Commissioner of Customs, and as an executive assistant at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. In 1986, President Corazon Aquino assigned him to head various financially struggling government-owned corporations. He became president and General Manager of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and the Manila Hotel and chairman of the National Reinsurance Corporation of the Philippines. He also represented the government as member of the board of directors of the San Miguel Corporation and the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT). He assumed the position of president and chief executive officer of Philippine Airlines, which was then wholly owned by the Philippine government.

House of Representatives (1992–2001)

Belmonte was first elected as member of the House of Representatives from Quezon City's fourth congressional district. He held the seat for three consecutive terms, from 1992 to 2001. Belmonte briefly served as the speaker of the House of Representatives in 2001, and also served as House Minority Leader. In his first two terms, he served as the vice chairman of the Committee on Appropriations.

During his term, Belmonte authored and co-authored several major bills, including the General Appropriations Act, the Act Providing for a Dual System of Education, the Act Creating the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, and the Salary Standardization Law.

Although largely concerned with budget and financial matters, Belmonte also did work for the low-salaried employees, and was instrumental in the passage of the Second Salary Standardization Law (SSL 2), which corrected the gross inequities of SSL 1. He also pushed for the continued implementation of the Personal Economic Relief Alliance (PERA) for low-salaried government personnel.

Speaker of the House (2001)

Belmonte gained national prominence as the lead prosecutor in the impeachment trial of President Joseph Estrada. On January 20, 2001, during the EDSA Revolution of 2001, Estrada left the Malacañan Palace and Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was sworn to the presidency at the EDSA Shrine by Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. Accompanying Davide were the chairs of the two houses of Congress, Aquilino Pimentel Jr. and Fuentebella. Four days later, on January 24, the Arroyo allies mustered enough votes to unseat Fuentebella, replacing him with Belmonte.

Mayor of Quezon City (2001–2010)

On August 4, 2000, Belmonte announced his intention to run for mayor of Quezon City.[2] In 2001, he won the election for the position of mayor and was re-elected in 2004 and in 2007, with vice mayor Herbert Bautista as his running mate in each election.[3] As mayor, his nine years of prudent fiscal management, aggressive tax management strategies, as well as increasing efficiency and growing discipline in the management, and use of City resources has made Quezon City the most competitive city of Metro Manila, and second in the Philippines today. These are rankings made by businessmen in the Philippines in studies of the Asian Institute of Management, in cooperation with international agencies.

Quezon City was cited for the dynamism of its local economy, the quality of life of its residents, and the responsiveness of the local government in addressing business and other needs.

In 2007, Quezon City was ranked No. 7 Asian City of the Future, based on a survey commissioned by the London Financial Times, through a consultancy based in Singapore. In a 2008 Tholons special report on global services, Quezon City ranked as the number 21 emerging global outsourcing city, the highest among all nine new entrants.

Belmonte was a long-standing member of the Lakas–CMD and Lakas–Kampi–CMD parties from his first term in Congress in 1992 until November 2009, where he last held the position of senior vice president for externals. On November 19, 2009, he and Vice Mayor Bautista were sworn in as members of the opposition Liberal Party.[4]

House of Representatives (2010–2016)

After serving as mayor of Quezon City, Belmonte made a successful bid for a fourth term in the House of Representatives. At the opening of the 15th Congress, Belmonte was again elected as speaker of the House, defeating Edcel Lagman of the former ruling party Lakas Kampi CMD, with a vote of 227–29. He succeeded Prospero Nograles, whose term had ended almost a month earlier. He was re-elected as representative in 2013 and in 2016.

In 2016, having been re-elected to his third consecutive term as representative, Belmonte decided not to seek another term as Speaker for the incoming 17th Congress and instead supported the bid of Pantaleon Alvarez, the representative-elect of Davao del Norte's 1st district and member of the incoming ruling party PDP–Laban.[5] [6] Alvarez eventually clinched the speakership, succeeding him.

In 2018, Belmonte left the Liberal Party, where he served as its vice chairman, as he would be retiring from politics at the end of his term.[7] Belmonte ended his congressional term on June 30, 2019, and was succeeded by councilor Bong Suntay, who ran under his daughter Joy's ticket.

Personal life

Belmonte was a member of the Manila Jaycees, the Rotary Club of Manila and the Knights of Rizal. He was also Junior Chamber International World President in 1976.[8]

He married Betty Go-Belmonte (1934–1994), founder of The Philippine Star, in 1959.[9] They have raised four children: Isaac, Kevin, Miguel and Joy. Their three sons have also held editorial and managerial positions at the Philippine Star and its sister publications like Pilipino Star Ngayon and Pang-Masa tabloids published in the Filipino vernacular, as well as the Cebu-based newspaper The Freeman. His daughter, Joy, has served as mayor of Quezon City since 2019. Belmonte also has a nephew, Kit, who served as a representative from Quezon City's 6th congressional district from 2013 to 2022.[10]

References

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Notes and References

  1. Web site: Philippines, Manila, Civil Registration, 1899-1984 Image Philippines, Manila, Civil Registration, 1899-1984; ark:/61903/3:1:939J-RSYT-2 — FamilySearch.org . . December 15, 2015 . March 10, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160310014403/https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939J-RSYT-2 . live .
  2. News: Belmonte for mayor. August 30, 2022. Philippine Daily Inquirer. The Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc.. August 5, 2000. 17. August 29, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220829165243/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XVM1AAAAIBAJ&sjid=ZyUMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2700,15946104. live.
  3. News: QC's Belmonte enjoys overwhelming lead. Ann. Corvera. May 14, 2004. July 18, 2023. The Philippine Star.
  4. http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/top-stories/6251-belmonte-joins-liberal-party-with-bistek Belmonte joins Liberal Party with ‘Bistek’
  5. News: Outgoing House Speaker wants Duterte's mandate 'become a reality'. Antonio L> IV. Colina. June 8, 2016. July 18, 2023. MindaNews. July 18, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230718080714/https://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2016/06/outgoing-house-speaker-wants-dutertes-mandate-become-a-reality/. live.
  6. News: July 24, 2016 . LP joins House super majority . The Philippine Star . July 18, 2023 . August 3, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240803004213/https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/07/24/1606061/lp-joins-house-super-majority . live .
  7. News: Belmonte to LP: 'Unfair' to accuse Arroyo of vindictiveness over Abads. Maria. Cepeda. Rappler. October 12, 2018. July 18, 2023. July 18, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230718080712/https://www.rappler.com/nation/214189-sonny-belmonte-statement-lp-accusation-arroyo-vindictiveness-batanes-caretaker/. live.
  8. Web site: JCI World President. Junior Chamber International. July 31, 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140811235146/http://www.jciuk.org.uk/about-us/history-of-jci/jci-world-president/. August 11, 2014.
  9. News: Speaker Feliciano 'Sonny' Belmonte Jr.: Began serving the people at age 25. Jovee Marie. de la Cruz. October 8, 2015. July 13, 2023. BusinessMirror. July 13, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230713053629/https://businessmirror.com.ph/2015/10/08/speaker-feliciano-sonny-belmonte-jr-began-serving-the-people-at-age-25/. live.
  10. News: Yap . DJ . Sauler . Erika . Belmonte daughter, nephew backing Roxas . April 18, 2022 . Philippine Daily Inquirer . July 15, 2015 . May 10, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220510142430/https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/705281/belmonte-daughter-nephew-backing-roxas . live .