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HOUSE OFFICIALS
RELATED LINKS
LEADERSHIP INFORMATION
THE SPEAKER, in the hierarchical order of political leadership, is the fourth highest official in the Philippine government. He presides over the session; decides on all questions of order, subject to appeal by any member; signs all acts, resolutions, memorials, writs, warrants and subpoenas issued by or upon order of the House; appoints, suspends, dismisses or disciplines House personnel; and exercise administrative functions.
The Speaker is elected by a majority vote of all the Members at the commencement of each Congress.
About the Speaker
FELICIANO "Sonny" BELMONTE, JR.
House Speaker (2010 - Present)
House of Representatives
Feliciano Belmonte, Jr. is the new Speaker of the House of Representatives.
In May 2010, he was elected Congressman, representing the Fourth District of Quezon City, under the Liberal Party.
From June 2001 to June 2010, Belmonte was Mayor of Quezon City, during which time he was selected as the Most Outstanding Mayor of the Philippines by the Local Government Leadership Awards.
A Three-term Congressman
1992 marked Belmonte's first stint as congressman. Before he became mayor, Belmonte was elected representative of the 4th Congressional District of Quezon City, and held the position for three (3) consecutive terms. Belmonte was Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2001, and also served as House Minority Leader. In his first two terms, he was the Vice Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations.
During his term as Congressman, he authored and co-authored several major bills, among them:
- 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 never forgot the low-salaried employees, and was instrumental in the passage of the Second Salary Standardization Law, 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.
A CEO Successful at Financial Turnarounds
His reputation for successfully turning around financial struggling government corporations into viable and highly profitable enterprises was highlighted in the period from 1986 to 2001, when Philippine President Corazon Aquino appointed him President and General Manager of the Government Service and Insurance System (GSIS)and the Manila Hotel, and he 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 (SMC), and the Philippine Long Distance and Telecommunications Company (PLDT). More importantly, he assumed the position of President and Chief Executive Officer of the Philippine Airlines, which was then wholly owned by the Philippine government. All these were among the Top 10 corporations in the country.
A Three-term Mayor of Quezon City
As Mayor of Quezon City, 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 needs, among others.
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 has guided Quezon City to pioneer in many areas:
- First to computerize revenue collection and assessment function.
- First to grant to barangays (community-level local government unit), full-fiscal control over their share of real property tax collections.
- First LGU to develop an extensive and continuous training curriculum for barangay leaders.
- First to institutionalize Citywide citizen participation in governance thru the City Development Council.
- First Urban Center to implement the Solid Waste Management Act.
- First to use Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) as biogas-reduction strategy, and revenue generation mechanism from waste.
- First to operate the Biogas Emission Reduction Project as the first Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project in solid waster management in the Philippines, and in Southeast Asia.
- First LGU to manage an advanced computer training center.
- First to enact a Gender and Development Code for the protection of women and children.
Recent Awards and Citations
Belmonte's governance of Quezon City has been recognized through the following prominent awards:
- 2008 Galing Pook Award for the Payatas Dumpsite Transformation Project (Galing Pook Foundation)
- 2005 CEO Excel Award in Communications Leadership for Government
- 2005 Galing Pook Award for Outstanding Government Program, Molave Youth Home (Galing Pook Foundation)
- 2003 Galing Pook Award for Effective Fiscal Management (Galing Pook Foundation)
- "Most business-friendly city" awardee for 2003, 2004, and Hall of Famer in 2005 (Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry
- 2003 Livable Community Award (Metrobank Foundation)
- 2003 Kabalikat sa Pabahay Award for the Local Government Unit with the Most Number of Community Mortgage Programs (Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council)
He has also received the following personal recognition:
- 2003 Most Outstanding City Mayor (Local Government Leadership Awards)
- Huwarang Pilipino Awardee for Local Governance (Huwarang Pilipino Foundation)
- CEO Excel Awards for Communications Excellence in the Government Sector, 2006
- Outstanding Filipino in Government Service of the Philippine Jaycees, and Insular Life Philippines, 2002
- Outstanding Congressman of the 9th, 10th, and 11th Congress
- Gintong Ama Awardee 1993
- Paul Harris Fellow of the Rotary Club of Manila
- Model Filipino Awardee of the World Family Institute, 1994
- Outstanding Alumni, Lyceum of the Philippines
- Benedictine Centennial Awardee, San Beda College
Before joining government, he practiced law and engaged in civic activities.
At the age of 16, he started working as a reporter for a national newspaper.
In 1976, he was World President of Jaycess (JCI) International. He was also a three-time delegate of the Philippines to the International Labor Organization.