Speaker Belmonte: Roxas to remain as LP president

House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. on Tuesday said that former Senator Manuel “Mar" Roxas II will remain the Liberal Party (LP) president despite reports that they are being pitted against each other for the party leadership. LP stalwarts in the House of Representatives are united in their decision to reelect Roxas as president when the administration party chooses its new set of officers Wednesday, which coincides with the 65th founding anniversary. “I think we have a consensus among LP officials including LP congressmen that we will support Senator Roxas as president," he said in a press briefing Tuesday. He belied reports of a “showdown" between him and Roxas, considering he personally supports the former senator as the administration party president. “When I read this report, I said, ‘Are you serious?’ Some newspaper reports are just taking this seriously. I myself am for Senator Roxas," he said. A newspaper reported Monday that congressmen, who are former members of the Lakas-Kampi-CMD, are plotting to elect Belmonte as LP president. Belmonte was Lakas-Kampi’s vice president before abandoning the party months before the 2010 elections. Roxas, who lost his vice presidential bid in the May 2010 polls, has been the LP president since 2007. — VS/GMANews.TV