MANILA — Quezon City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte said joining the administration’s Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) has put her “in the best position to effect change” and better serve her constituents.
This, as she lauded President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s gesture of reconciliation to his former political opponents, and expressed gratitude to the President for her acceptance as member of PDP-Laban last year.
“I’m very happy with that gesture of reconciliation. I think that’s a sign of great maturity. And I think that should be the mindset of all politicians,” Belmonte said in a statement Friday.
In a speech during the Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte National Executive Coordinating Committee (MRRD NECC) last Wednesday, Duterte said he is ready to accept as allies politicians coming from opposition parties in the 2016 elections.
Duterte added that he does not care about the previous political affiliation of his supporters anymore since he is already President.
Belmonte, who was present during the event, admitted she is one of those people Duterte was referring to in his statements about political turncoatism.
“Since the day of reckoning is just one day, the people, when they choose, that winner must be magnanimous and must be willing to accept everybody because that’s the way to move forward,” Belmonte said.
Belmonte added that taking vengeance against your opponents in politics will not give opportunities for progress and better public service.
“If you make enemies, you will not move forward because you’ll always take vengeance with one another. That’s not the way towards progress,” Belmonte said.
In the same event, Belmonte took oath as the new political adviser of MRRD NECC-Quezon City Chapter. MRRD NECC was an all-volunteer group that supported Duterte’s candidacy in the 2016 presidential race.
Belmonte said her decision to join PDP-Laban from her former camp, the Liberal Party, gave her “bigger opportunities” to improve her service to QC residents. She made the shift to the administration party last year.
“My decision is a result of my desire to help Quezon City better. It placed me in the best position to effect change. It has given me bigger opportunities to be of better service to my constituents,” Belmonte said.
Belmonte said that LP knew of her intention to run for QC mayor in the 2019 local polls under a new party, and that she had LP’s “blessing” to join PDP-Laban.
“I want to continue the economic growth of Quezon City started by my father, and with PDP-Laban, it is not an impossible task,” Belmonte said.
Gian Carlo Sotto, councilor of QC 3rd District, is Belmonte’s anointed running mate in the local polls next year. (Ma. Teresa Montemayor/PNA)
