Quezon City Mayor Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte Jr., congressman-elect in the city’s 4th District, expresses confidence that his deeply rooted ties with original members of the Lakas-CMD (Christian-Muslim Democrats) party and his new-found relationship with members of different parties and representatives of party-list groups will help him muster the numbers necessary to be elected as House speaker.

Belmonte said even if the ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD party of President Arroyo won’t coalesce with the Liberal Party (LP) to install him as House speaker, his confidence to get the most coveted post never waned after individual members of the administration party, Nacionalista

Party (NP), Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), other independent congressmen, and party-list representatives have expressed interest in forging alliance with him.

“I’ve been a part of the 9th, 10th, and 11th Congress where I’ve been elected as Speaker. There are people who have since worked with me, known me and trusted in me. I will try to talk to them and convince them to support the new administration and join the LP. Even if they don’t, they can remain with their parties and ally themselves with us. There are many modes by which we can work together,” he said.

Belmonte, however, described as unacceptable former Rep. Prospero Pichay’s proposal to form a Lakas-Kampi-LP coalition in exchange for electing President Arroyo as House speaker.

“It is not acceptable to us because we feel the new President should have a leader in the House that is allied with him and believes in his programs and agenda. There is no allure in their proposal, unless they are amenable that I’ll be the one they’ll support,” he said.

Belmonte said he may not get the support of Lakas-Kampi CMD as a party but with the help of many Lakas members “who believe in my capability, we can do it.”