President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo would seek the speakership of the House of Representatives if she is elected representative of Pampanga in the May 10 elections, a member of the ruling party said Sunday. Malabon Representative Federico Sandoval II said the ruling Lakas-Kampi CMD party, which Arroyo heads, is still expected to control the House even after the election. As such the majority in the new House could easily elect Arroyo as the next speaker, Sandoval said. The Malabon congressman said ruling party members running for Congress greatly outnumber their rivals from other parties. There are currently 160 Lakas-Kampi CMD members plus nine members of the Arroyo Cabinet who are running for Congress in the May 10 elections. “This is a stroke of genius. Others haven't thought that this is possible, that we will have a former president who can continue controlling the ruling coalition and become the next Speaker of the House,” Sandoval said. Facing little opposition, Arroyo is widely expected to win the congressional race in Pampanga and replace her son as representative of the second district of her home province, thus becoming the first Philippine president to assume a lower post in government after finishing her term of office. Critics have expressed concern that once she becomes Speaker of the House, she could eventually lead Congress into changing the Constitution and amending the country's form of government to a parliamentary system. Once this is done, there would be no stopping her allies in the majority party from electing her as prime minister, thus regaining her full powers. UP Professor Alex Magno said even if an opposition candidate wins the presidency, he could be forced to seek an alliance with the ruling Lakas-Kampi CMD party since he would need the support of local leaders in the provinces in the cities, 85 percent of whom are still with the ruling party. As such, the new president could find himself with no other choice but to accept Arroyo as House Speaker. “Without doubt, the next Congress will have a Lakas majority,” Magno said. However, UP professor Clarita Carlos said the future political scene remains fluid since some Lakas-Kampi CMD members could switch to the political party of the new president to assure that they would get their special funds. Moreover, voters could reject some lawmakers allied with the ruling party in the May 10 election and elect opposition bets instead, thus changing the dynamics of Congress, Carlos said. For his part, pro-administration Senator Joker Arroyo expressed serious doubts that Arroyo could eventually be elected prime minister even is she gets the House Speakership. “The road is long. One thing we can be sure of is this: Mrs. Arroyo as president made many attempts to amend the Constitution (but failed). The lesser position as Speaker, assuming she is going to be, she cannot amend it, no way,” the senator said. In the first place, the senator argued that Arroyo is unlikely to become House speaker because the next President would not countenance it. The senator said the next president has the choice on who to support as House speaker, and not one of the presidential candidates in the May election has expressed any liking for Arroyo getting the Speakership. The senator recalled that President Corazon Aquino had her ally Ramon Mitra as speaker, Fidel Ramos had Jose de Venecia, Joseph Estrada had Manny Villar, while Arroyo had Jose de Venecia and later, Prospero Nograles. “They are choices of the president. So, the speaker will be choice of the president, let us forget these speculations. Chances are there will be no president that will support Speaker Gloria Arroyo. Noynoy (Aquino) won't; Villar, Erap (Joseph Estrada), won't, even (Gilbert) Teodoro won't,” the senator said.
