Despite a barrage of criticisms hurled against her, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Tuesday formalized her intent to seek a congressional seat for the second district of Pampanga, her home province.
Mrs. Arroyo filed her certificate of candidacy at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) office in San Fernando City. She was accompanied by her husband, First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo.
Earlier, she heard Mass at the St. Augustine Parish Church in Lubao town. She also delivered a speech before her constituents, who applauded and cheered her.
Her frequent visits to the province – she went to Pampanga at least 50 times this year – had fueled assumptions that she will run for congresswoman of Pampanga’s second district after her term expires in 2010. But Malacañang had repeatedly parried questions on whether Mrs. Arroyo was gunning for a House seat.
On Tuesday, the President ended months of speculation and said she could not completely step down from “public service.”
No legal impediment
A report by GMA News’ Michael Fajatin quoted constitutional expert Fr. Joaquin Bernas, SJ, as saying there is nothing in the law barring Mrs. Arroyo from pursuing a congressional seat.
University of the Philippines (UP) law professor Harry Roque agreed with Bernas, saying “Ang sabi ng probisyon ng ating Saligang Batas ang ipinagbabawal ay reelection kung ikaw ay presidente. Ang ordinary meaning niyan, reelection sa posisyong presidente muli kapag ikaw ay nakaupo (Under the provision in our Constitution, only a sitting president is barred from seeking the same position again).”
“So sa tingin ko, gaya ng walang pagbabawal kay Erap (former president Joseph Estrada) para tumakbo muli bilang isang presidente, wala ring pagbabawal para kay Mrs. Arroyo na tumakbo pagka kongresista ng Pampanga (I think, there is nothing barring Mrs. Arroyo from running for congresswoman of Pampanga in the same way that Erap is not barred from running again for president),” Roque said, adding that Estrada’s case is expected to go all the way to the Supreme Court.
Critics of Mrs. Arroyo acknowledge that while she is legally eligible to run for a lower office, her decision to run for Congress was motivated by “political survival.” [See: Arroyo bid for House seat slammed]
Bayan Muna Rep. Teodoro Casiño called Mrs. Arroyo a “megalomaniac, a person who is obsessed with [her] own power, a person who has delusions about [her] own power and importance.”
“This latest political stunt by Ms Arroyo is absolutely linked to her desperate attempt to attain immunity and the prolongation of the culture of impunity and violence in the country,” said Anakpawis Rep. Rafael Mariano in a statement.
Three weeks ago, Mrs. Arroyo’s half-sister former Pampanga vice governor Cielo Macapagal-Salgado appealed to her to give other candidates a chance to run for the same post. [See: Half-sis asks Arroyo to give way in 2010]
“Nakasiyam na taon na siya, di ba? You have reached the highest post na binigay sa iyo ng mamamayan. Binigyan ka na ng pagkakataon, bigyan mo naman ng pagkakataon ‘yung iba (She has been there for nine years, right? You have reached the highest post given to you by the people. You have been given the chance, now you must give chance to others),” Salgado said in an interview with GMA News.
Macapagal-Salgado said she has been eyeing Pampanga’s 2nd district congressional post for some time but had to give way to her younger brother Arturo, who in turn had to give way to Mrs. Arroyo’s Mikey who is the incumbent representative of the district.
Salgado and her brother Arturo are children of former president Diosdado Macapagal by his first wife Purita de la Rosa, who died during World War II. She was the sister of Macapagal’s close friend, the movie star Rogelio de la Rosa.
No impact on Lakas campaign
In Manila, former Defense chief and ruling party Lakas-Kampi-CMD standard bearer Gilberto Teodoro, Jr. said that the candidacy of President Arroyo won’t affect his national campaign.
Teodoro made the statement after filing his certificate of candidacy (COC) for president early Tuesday at the Comelec national headquarters in Intramuros.
“Siya ay kandidato para sa kongreso, kami focused sa national campaign, hindi ito makakaapekto sa campaign sa buong bansa (She is a candidate for congress, we are focused on the national campaign, this will not affect our campaign nationwide),” Teodoro said.
Teodoro filed his COC with his vice presidential bet actor-turned-politician Edu Manzano, and his senatorial bets broadcaster Rey Langit and Binalonan Mayor Ramon Guico.
Also running under the administration ticket are Senators Ramon “Bong” Revilla, Jr. and Manuel “Lito” Lapid.
Manzano echoed the former secretary’s statement in saying that Arroyo’s candidacy for a House seat will just be focused in Pampanga and should not have any implications on their nationwide campaign.
“I think she has her own campaign to worry about and we have our own campaign to worry of. We don’t want to micromanage our campaign, we want to look at the big picture,” he told reporters.
But Teodoro said he expects Mrs. Arroyo to help the party in their campaign in the province.
“Kung siya ang administration candidate, natural lamang iyon, makakatulong din ang Pangulo sa aking kampanya sa Pampanga (If she is an administration candidate, that is just natural, the President will be able to help our campaign in Pampanga),” he said. - Sophia Dedace with Kimberly Jane Tan and Johanna Camille Sisante/RSJ/LBG, GMANews.TV
December 1st, 2009 at 3:33 pm
I’m for Arroyo from her term from 2001 up to present. But another sit in the congress? It’s enough!!!
She really want to extend her term. What’s next? Be elected as Speaker of the House? Then urged to change the government form from presidential to parliamentary. Her party is the majority party in the congress. She will be the next prime minister. Enough!! Enough!! Enough!!
December 1st, 2009 at 4:40 pm
Gusto lang niya tumakas sa mga atraso nya sa bayan kaya sya tatakbo pagka congresswoman. wtf!! sana yung next na uupo sa palasyo wag syang santuhin! grabe kc talaga ginawa nya sa sambayanan. Kapampangan din ako but i really don’t like her and her family. Masyado sila gahaman sa kapangyarihan. Mga akala mo kung sino. Bakit hindi nya kaya bigyan ng chance yung iba! Bakit sya nlang ba may kakayahang mamuno?!! Mag isip isip tayo mga kababayan kong kapampangan! Maraming mas may potential dyan kesa sa kanya!
December 1st, 2009 at 4:51 pm
OO ENOUGH NA NGA TALAGA! GRABE NAMAN TALAGA YANG PAGKA GAHAMAN SA POSISYON NI GLORIA! WALANG PATAWAD! KAPAMPANGAN AKO BUT I REALLY DON’T LIKE HER AND HER FAMILY. MGA AKALA MO KUNG SINO! AKALA MO KUNG SINONG MAGAGALING! MGA WALANG GINAWA KUNDI PAHIRAPAN LANG ANG SAMBAYANAN. MGA KABABAYAN KONG KAPAMPANGAN MAG ISIP ISIP NAMAN TAYO! WAG NA TAYO MAGPADALA SA BIGBIG NG MGA SALOT NA YAN. MARAMING MAS MAY POTENTIAL DYAN KESA SA KANILA.
December 1st, 2009 at 5:49 pm
Tama na Yan!!! Tama na!!!!! PGMA wakeup!
December 1st, 2009 at 5:50 pm
Madam! Give chance to others!!
December 1st, 2009 at 7:34 pm
there’s nothing wrong if she runs fro the congress or not. She doesn’t even prohibit any law. At least she uses her mind and it’s not any of our business to codemn of her reasons, wala rin NAMAN TAYONG MAGAWA for OUR MOTHER LAND RIGHT???
Khit sino pa ang naka upo kung mas maraming tangang Pilipino, paulit ulit lng ang mangyayari..Kasalanan ng mga voters ksai nagpapakatanga sila sa mga candidates na alam naman nila na walang kayang gawin..makikita nmn un sa simpleng pag deny lang about commercials, paggamit ng artista and what so ever ridiculous things na ginagawa nilang gimmick para lng manalo..may kaya bang gumawa ng ginawa ni Magsaysay??mag-isa lng mangangapanya sa kalsada?WALA…
so come to think of it guys, we don’t need popular candidates, we need sincere people in changing our governmrnt in something good and progressive one. We don’t need to blame others in what does Philippines status today, we know in just simple things we do in our everyday life, we do nothing for our country. So let us just start for ourselves,not codemn others.
December 2nd, 2009 at 4:58 am
Only one word i can say…SWAPANG!
December 2nd, 2009 at 7:55 am
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo 95 years old barangay captain naman o kaya class president ng filipino club subject..hahahahahahaha..
December 2nd, 2009 at 3:50 pm
This move by GMA marks the untimely death of delicadeza in Philippine politics. * R I P *
December 2nd, 2009 at 7:05 pm
9 years as president is enough…ano ang talagang motibo mo sa pagtakbo bilang kongresista?…u should resign out of delicadeza…
December 4th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Isa kang ganid sa Kapangyarihan… Tama na Pls…Maawa naman kayo ng pamilya mo…
December 10th, 2009 at 7:53 pm
winner lang ang lola nyo! inggit lang kayo! as kuya kim often says: ANG BUHAY AY WEATHER WEATHER LANG! hintayin nyo na lang panahon nyo :p
December 11th, 2009 at 11:17 am
S
December 11th, 2009 at 11:17 am
HINDI MASYADONG BUSY SI GLORIA
December 11th, 2009 at 11:26 am
Pabayaan lang natin si Gloria na abusuhin ang mga Pilipino kasi napakagaling naman niya, eh? Dios lang ang puedeng makatangal kay Gloria kasi walang kakayahan ang liping Pilipino.
December 11th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
If indeed the reason why GMA want to run as congresswoman to help her constituents…she should have done it for her 9 long years as President!
It simply unfold that indeed she was behind all those manuevering to change our Constitution!
SWAPANG!
December 13th, 2009 at 4:44 am
Madaling magsabi ng walang moral o walang delikadeza.Ang tanong,Ikaw ba,Ako ba,at Tayong lahat ba ay may delikadeza? Saakin lang,walang mali sa pagtakbo ni madam Gloria basta legal at pinapayagan ng batas.Lahat tayo ay may karapatan kumandidato at mamuno basta legal at kwalipikado.
December 13th, 2009 at 7:11 pm
Glorya SAKIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! isa kang aswang sa kapangyarihan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
December 14th, 2009 at 11:16 pm
tayo narin ang makahusga nyan kung gusto natin o hindi dahil ang pagpili natin ay kapangyarihan din …magbigay paliwanag sa tabing bahay at ikalat ang magandang paliwanag na enough will be enough or else enough will be one more mistake that wiil threaten us for long 3years term or more…
December 15th, 2009 at 4:26 am
ARROYO SHOULD RETIRE FROM POLITICS. WE ALL ADORE HIS FATHER WHO IS A PRESIDENT. THE DAUGHTER IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT THAN THE PATRIARCH. HER AGENDA IS MORE TOWARDS GREED AND HUNGRY FOR POWER. SHE SHOULD LEAVE THE POLITICS AND GIVE IT A REST. RUNNING FOR CONGRESS (LOWER POSITION) FROM BEING A PRESIDENT IS A BIG SLAP ON HER FACE AND LOWERING HERSELF AS A PROFESSIONAL/EDUCATED PERSON. SHE HAS PERSONAL AGENDA FOR DOING SO, WHY ELSE WOULD SHE DO THIS? CAN’T LET GO OF THE POWER AND GREED SHE WAS ENJOYING IN THE PAST. THAT’S WHAT SATAN WOULD DO TO PEOPLE.
December 15th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
Tanga na lang ang boboto dyan sa gahaman na yan!..
December 15th, 2009 at 6:34 pm
wala ka na bang maisip na ikatatahimak nang bansang Pilipinas? sa sobrang power mo ayaw mo ng umalis sa puwesto, siguro naman alam mo at ng mga kakutsaba mo na salot kayong lahat sa ating lipunan, masiyado kayong garapal.
December 17th, 2009 at 6:04 am
iba tlga pg ntikman mo ang sobrang kapngyrihan ayw mo ng kumawala rito, heheheh malamang napagtatawan ulit tyo ng buong mundo, from president to congresswomen, onli in da pilipins, dmi tlg komedyante satin ,khit sa malakanyang my mga payaso rin hehehheh…
madam president enough is enough…
December 17th, 2009 at 6:14 am
mavs pagmalakas lakas pa bk mging chief ng barangy tanod,hehehehhehe
o kaya presidente ng TODA or PADYAK HEHEHEH
January 19th, 2010 at 5:32 am
To quote the song of Incubus,
“Hey megalomaniac
You’re no Elvis
Wash your hands clean of yourself and
Step down
Step down
Step down!”
February 8th, 2010 at 12:28 am
MAM GLORA IDOL KITA PERO TAMA NAPOOOOOO…. MAAWA KA NAMAN SA MGA PINOY,,HINGI KA NA LANG ASYLUM SA IBANG BANSA, MAS MADALI PA KESA TUMAKBO KA SA CONGRESO. PAG AAGAWAN KA NG MGA SWISS BANKS….
February 11th, 2010 at 7:43 am
Para sa mga kabalen ko. Ang tatanga niyo pag binoto ang isang magnanakaw na tulad ni Gloria at ang buong pamilya niya. Read this:
Makati Mayor Jojo Binay, who is president of the United Opposition, is asking [Philippine's] Gloria Arroyo to explain why she detoured to Cartagena, Colombia in between her visit to Japan and Brazil last weekend.
Binay has every right to ask because he said “Arroyo is traveling on taxpayers’ expense.”
Since the Department of Foreign Affairs said they arranged only the Japan and Brazil trips and were not told about the trip to Colombia until Friday (Arroyo went to Colombia Saturday and left for Brazil Monday) and Malacañang does not want to say anything about it, the secret visit has become fair game to speculations.
An American businessman who is following closely developments in the Philippines thinks the Cartagena trip was really for a business transaction in nearby Panama.
The businessman, who wants only to be identified as Jay for reasons that we fully understand, related: “Last year, I took a trip to the country bordering Colombia, Panama. I lived there as a child in the 1970’s while my father was stationed at an Air Force Base in the former Canal Zone, and it was my first trip back in 30 years. I was astounded by the skyscrapers that now dot the Panama City skyline. I discovered that Panama is now an offshore banking haven–like the Switzerland of Latin America. There is also some evidence that many of the construction projects around the city were started as a way to launder illicit drug money from Colombia.
“I work as a financial advisor with Citigroup in the US. If a certain Jose Miguel Arroyo walked into my office and wanted to open a $100 million account with me, I couldn’t do it. We have very strict guidelines for dealing with foreign government or public officials and have to be able to establish a ’source of wealth’. We definitely cannot open accounts under aliases such as Jose Pidal. It would be very easy for a private banker from Panama to take a short plane ride into Cartagena to talk with GMA about setting up numbered accounts to hide her ill-gotten loot. If she flew directly into Panama, that would be just as suspicious as taking a trip to Switzerland unannounced.”
I googled “Panama offshore banking” and this is one of the interesting items I found:
“Expedited Panama Bank Account Service. Due to our relationship with one of the largest and most trusted banks in Panama, you can have a Panama Bank Account in 1-3 days. When you order our expedited service you can have your bank account open in just 3 days. This option does not require you to come to Panama. Select clients can now be interviewed without travelling to Panama. It is now possible to get a bank account and corporation in 24 hours using our rush service. ”
It also says that, ” Panama Bank Accounts have strong Bank Secrecy, which calls for prison terms and fines for violators. The difference between Panama and other offshore jurisdictions, is that Panama strongly enforces its bank secrecy laws. Also you could, of course, sue the bank for any violations as well. ”
This reminds me of the information I got about Mike Arroyo’s trip to Lugano, on Switzerland’s border with Italy in July 2006. This was the time that Mike Arroyo stayed behind after his wife’s European visit.
Gloria Arroyo announced that her husband was staying behind in Spain to trace his ancestral links to St. Theresa de Avila.
A source said that with a female traveling companion, Mike Arroyo went to Lugano which is “third behind only Zurich and Geneva as a Swiss banking center”.
In this Cartagena trip, I learned from reliable sources that the Arroyos were hosted by businessman Jaime Augusto Zobel and wife Lizzie, a Colombian.
Blogger Saxnviolins has another theory: “There is a special interest in Cartagena, which is not the capital of Colombia. I doubt that friendship and the hosting by Zobel de Ayala is the main reason. There is a business purpose to the trip to Cartagena.”
Saxnviolins said Cartagena is Colombia’s second largest port; the largest is in Buenaventura. A known Arroyo ally, businessman Ricky Razon of International Container Terminal Services Inc. has invested $180 Million in Buenaventura:
Saxnviolins said it has been rumored that the Arroyos have a stake in ICTSI. “So the Cartagena trip may have something to do with ICTSI.”
Blogger HKOfw is very angry: “‘Like a thief in the night’ biglang umiba ng ruta ng biyahe ang Pamilya Kawatan. Para tuloy na-hijack ang eroplano. Ganyan talaga ang gawain ng magnanakaw. Bigla kung tumira. Walang paa-paalam. Kasi nga magnanakaw. Kaya wala tayong dapat ipagtaka. Tiyak hindi lang ito ang huli. May susunod pa. Dahil walang sumasalungat. Si Foreign Secretarty Romulo walang dangal, Nakatulala na lang.
“Ang kapal nila. Hindi kanila ang eroplano, gamit ito para sa kabutihan ng bayan pero kung gamitin nila parang pribadong eroplano nila ito. Walang abug-abog na biglang pumunta sa kabilang ibayo ng Dagat Pasipiko at walang pakialam sa bansang may-ari ng kanilang sasakyan at marahil may dala-dalang perang mga ninakaw.
“Siyempre may dahilan na lihim. Magpapakaligaya sila sa paraiso ng Caribbean Islands? Maari o kasama na ito. Pero ang ibang dahilan ay malamang na baka bumili sila ng isla o property dito para tirhan sakaling tumakas sila sa batas at ngitngit ng mga Pinoy.”
_________
February 24th, 2010 at 12:44 pm
anu ba yan…ung mga politician nga sa amerika konting issue resign kaagad…e2 sandamakmak na iskandalo na hinarap tatakbo parin…amp…di na nahiya…nka 9 yrs ka na…di pa ba sapat yon???
February 27th, 2010 at 10:32 pm
Kapal nama ng mukha mo Mrs.Arroyo. Nasan na ang dilikadisa mo? Now you are eying for local post for what porpuse? So makikita mo talaga na di pag lilingkod ang hangarin mo its all about business or self interest. How sad naman na talagang lumitaw ang kulay mo you maked politics as a business, you keept away on this pero sanay ka na sa kapal ng mukha at manhid ka na sa mga gingawa nyong mag asawa i think kulang pa ang nanakaw nyo sa bansang pilipinas kaya now di ka pa tumitigil sa pag nenegosyo yan bay instruction nanaman ni MR. na need mong wag mawalan ng pwesto? Maawa naman kayo sa bayan ni Juan kung ang pag sisinungaling eh nakakamatay baka kayo ng asawa mo eh milyong ulit ng namatay sa pag sisinungaling nyo!!! Asan ang dilikadesa mo?