Pres. Arroyo announces her congressional bid

In a historic move, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo announces Monday (Bonifacio Day) that she will run for a congressional seat in her hometown in Lubao Pampanga. According to reports, Mrs. Arroyo will file her Certificate of Candidacy (COC) in her hometown in Lubao Pampanga through a representative, before the deadline on December 1.

 

Mrs. Arroyo's frequent visits to Pampanga at least 50 times this year alone fueled speculations that she will seek a House seat in next year's polls. Her critics have alleged that once she is elected into office, her colleagues in Congress would push for a shift into a parliamentary system of government and subsequently elect her as prime minister.

 

"I will file my candidacy for congress in order to serve the hardworking people of my province," Arroyo, 62, said on government radio DZRB. "I hope to be a champion for the poor and to work to uplift the economy.... I will work for this from a position closer to the people."

 

"Congressional immunity is only from libel suits for utterances made in Congressional sessions. That is not what I am after. This will reflect my own level of commitment to public service," she said on the graft issue. When asked about changing the constitution, Arroyo said: "That situation is so hypothetical I won't even bother to speculate about it."

 

Nothing in the law bars a president from seeking other position after his/her term, and it does not requires the president to resign after she has formally filed her COC.