MANILA (Xinhua) — Veteran Philippine lawmaker Feliciano R. Belmonte, Jr. was elected on Monday as Speaker of the House of Representatives in the 15th Congress.

The 73-year old Belmonte garnered the support of 227 out of the total 287 members of the Lower Chamber. He is part of the ruling Liberal Party. 

Belmonte represents the fourth district of Quezon City in the country's National Capital Region (NCR). This is the second time that he was elected as House Speaker.

He was first elected as Quezon City Representative in 1992 and held the position for three consecutive terms. He served as House Minority leader and House Speaker of the 11th Congress.

In 2001, he was elected Mayor of Quezon City. He served as city mayor for nine years, before running and winning another term as congressman.