CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Trusted political allies of Pres. Arroyo in this province said yesterday she has not disclosed to them any plans to run for Congress in Pampanga’s second district in next year’s polls.
But they stressed that they would not hesitate to encourage her to do so and that she would readily win in her district.
Subic-Clark Alliance for Development Council Chairman Edgardo Pamintuan, a former mayor of Angeles City, and Candaba Mayor Jerry Pelayo said the President would readily win in the second district of Pampanga which she has visited about 16 times so far this year.
The President is a registered voter in Lubao town in the district where her eldest son, Rep. MIkey Arroyo, is on his second term as congressman. Her recent frequent visits to the district has fueled talk she would run for Congress while Mikey would run for governor in next year’s elections.
Bacolor Mayor Buddy Dungca, vice president of the Pampanga Mayors’ League (PML), said mayors in this province would stand united behind any political plans of Mrs. Arroyo.
Pamintuan and Pelayo insisted “there is nothing wrong if she runs for Congress”, and that if the President sought their views on this, they would encourage her to do so.
“She has done a lot of projects nationwide, and Kapampangans will be solidly voting for her if she runs for congresswoman in the second district so she can continue serving them,” Pamintuan said.
Pelayo said “I can even campaign for her in her district. She had done so much for Pampanga.”
“She will win hands down,” Pamintuan said.
But both Pamintuan and Pelayo, who is one of the top leaders of the Kampi party in Central Luzon, said the President has never intimated to them any plan to seek congressional post.
“As chairman of the Cabinet Office for Regional Development (CORD) in Central Luzon, I rode with her in the same van during her recent sorties to barangays in Pampanga, but she never even hinted any plan to run for Congress,” Pamintuan said.
Pelayo and Dungca also said the President nor anyone from Malacanang has relayed to them such scenario.
Pamintuan, however, admitted that the unusually frequent visit of the President to her district would indeed fuel speculations on her purported interest in running for Congress.
Earlier, Pampanga 1st District Rep. Carmelo Lazatin said some allies of the President in the Lower House are pushing for Charter change towards a parliamentary system of government that can lead to the ascendancy of Mrs. Arroyo as prime minister.
The House recently approved Resolution No. 1109 seeking to convene a constitutional assembly (ConAss) for Charter change.
Pampanga Gov. Eddie Panlilio, however, decried this in a statement he issued yesterday.
“With the highly questionable passage of House Resolution 1109 and its far-reaching effects should it continue to be pursued by its proponents in the Lower House, pro-con-ass legislators and their patrons in Malacanang will not only cause to sow further disunity, fan the flame of unrest and deepen the mistrust of our people in the government,” Panlilio said.
He said “pro-con-ass legislators will be betraying our people’s desire to have a government that is more responsive to their needs. Especially at a time when we find our Motherland in a crisis as we do today does she deserve the best from all of us. Our people have been robbed enough already.”
“I join the rest of our nation in urging all our lawmakers to be the voice of the people in the government – abandon personal interest and cast patronage ambition aside. And to our countrymen and women, I enjoin you all to continue to remain vigilant and oppose any and all efforts to change the fundamental law of the land before the 2010 elections, especially if done through a manner that seeks only to undermine our democratic and political institutions and betray our authentic will as a people,” he added.
But they stressed that they would not hesitate to encourage her to do so and that she would readily win in her district.
Subic-Clark Alliance for Development Council Chairman Edgardo Pamintuan, a former mayor of Angeles City, and Candaba Mayor Jerry Pelayo said the President would readily win in the second district of Pampanga which she has visited about 16 times so far this year.
The President is a registered voter in Lubao town in the district where her eldest son, Rep. MIkey Arroyo, is on his second term as congressman. Her recent frequent visits to the district has fueled talk she would run for Congress while Mikey would run for governor in next year’s elections.
Bacolor Mayor Buddy Dungca, vice president of the Pampanga Mayors’ League (PML), said mayors in this province would stand united behind any political plans of Mrs. Arroyo.
Pamintuan and Pelayo insisted “there is nothing wrong if she runs for Congress”, and that if the President sought their views on this, they would encourage her to do so.
“She has done a lot of projects nationwide, and Kapampangans will be solidly voting for her if she runs for congresswoman in the second district so she can continue serving them,” Pamintuan said.
Pelayo said “I can even campaign for her in her district. She had done so much for Pampanga.”
“She will win hands down,” Pamintuan said.
But both Pamintuan and Pelayo, who is one of the top leaders of the Kampi party in Central Luzon, said the President has never intimated to them any plan to seek congressional post.
“As chairman of the Cabinet Office for Regional Development (CORD) in Central Luzon, I rode with her in the same van during her recent sorties to barangays in Pampanga, but she never even hinted any plan to run for Congress,” Pamintuan said.
Pelayo and Dungca also said the President nor anyone from Malacanang has relayed to them such scenario.
Pamintuan, however, admitted that the unusually frequent visit of the President to her district would indeed fuel speculations on her purported interest in running for Congress.
Earlier, Pampanga 1st District Rep. Carmelo Lazatin said some allies of the President in the Lower House are pushing for Charter change towards a parliamentary system of government that can lead to the ascendancy of Mrs. Arroyo as prime minister.
The House recently approved Resolution No. 1109 seeking to convene a constitutional assembly (ConAss) for Charter change.
Pampanga Gov. Eddie Panlilio, however, decried this in a statement he issued yesterday.
“With the highly questionable passage of House Resolution 1109 and its far-reaching effects should it continue to be pursued by its proponents in the Lower House, pro-con-ass legislators and their patrons in Malacanang will not only cause to sow further disunity, fan the flame of unrest and deepen the mistrust of our people in the government,” Panlilio said.
He said “pro-con-ass legislators will be betraying our people’s desire to have a government that is more responsive to their needs. Especially at a time when we find our Motherland in a crisis as we do today does she deserve the best from all of us. Our people have been robbed enough already.”
“I join the rest of our nation in urging all our lawmakers to be the voice of the people in the government – abandon personal interest and cast patronage ambition aside. And to our countrymen and women, I enjoin you all to continue to remain vigilant and oppose any and all efforts to change the fundamental law of the land before the 2010 elections, especially if done through a manner that seeks only to undermine our democratic and political institutions and betray our authentic will as a people,” he added.
