MANILA, Philippines—President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo should resign for diminishing the stature of her office with her decision to run for a seat in the House of Representatives, former President Fidel Ramos said Wednesday.

Deposed President Joseph Estrada also called on Ms Arroyo to step down, saying that she has an undue advantage over her opponents as a sitting President.

“She has all the government resources [at her disposal]. I pity her opponents who will have no chance (of winning). Out of delicadeza (propriety), she should resign,” Estrada said last night at the “Harapan” presidential debates at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila.

Before leaving for Australia, Ramos told reporters at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) that Ms Arroyo’s resignation was only fair to other candidates running for the second legislative district of her home province, Pampanga.

“In the interest of fair play, she should resign so as not to give her undue advantage over whoever will run against her in Pampanga,” Ramos said.

He described Ms Arroyo’s decision as “inexcusably mysterious,” adding that her seeking local office “diminishes the stature of the presidency.”

“Can you imagine the fairness of it all? You—the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, Chief Executive with the power of appointment and removal, head of state, head of government, national budget controller, including the disbursement of pork barrel—will run against this little lady here [and an] engineer from Porac or a little mayor ... or this guy here,” Ramos said.

Rivals small fry

The Liberal Party in Pampanga has fielded a candidate to face Ms Arroyo.

“I am not here to compete. I accepted the challenge of running against Ms Arroyo because we wanted somebody to stand for good governance,” said Adonis Simpao, an architect.

Aside from Simpao, Ms Arroyo will face Feliciano Serrano, an electronics engineer, and Filipinas Sampang, who listed her occupation in her certificate of candidacy (CoC) as an entrepreneur.

It was Ramos who threw his support behind the then embattled Ms Arroyo in July 2005 amid mounting calls for her to step down following allegations that she committed fraud in the 2004 elections.

“The Ramos factor” was said to have helped “rescue” the Arroyo presidency from falling apart, after the mass resignation of 10 Cabinet officials and executives and the call of former President Corazon Aquino for her to resign.

Drunk with power

Ms Arroyo began her quest for a seat in Congress on Dec. 1, ignoring a stinging rebuke by the Catholic Church and her critics who accused her of being drunk with power.

She said her intention was to serve her province after she steps down as president next year.

But her opponents said that Ms Arroyo would use her position in Congress as a platform to change the Constitution and become the country’s first prime minister, with the president relegated to a ceremonial role.

They also say she may try to use the powers and privileges of parliament to fend off potential corruption charges.

Protests

Anger over Ms Arroyo’s unpopular move triggered scattered protests in Metro Manila Wednesday.

Police said several students were briefly held after a skirmish with police at the University of the Philippines, where Ms Arroyo was attending an academic function.

Then Vice President Arroyo was swept into the presidency after a popular revolt removed graft-tainted Joseph Estrada from office in 2001.

She served out Estrada’s last three years in office, then won a hotly contested six-year term in 2004 amid allegations she rigged the vote.

At the NAIA, Ramos doubted whether Ms Arroyo could simultaneously campaign in Pampanga and faithfully discharge her duties as President.

As the President, Ms Arroyo should display “unselfishness in public service” at all times, which she may not be able to do so once the campaign begins, Ramos said.

Presidency full-time job

Being the President is a full-time job that must be undertaken “25 hours a day and eight days a week,” he added.

Ramos also found fault with Ms Arroyos’ frequent visits to Pampanga and ignoring other provinces like Maguindanao, where a massacre of members and supporters of a political clan, as well as 30 journalists, took place on Nov. 23.

He said the killings might not have taken place had Ms Arroyo paid attention to the situation in Maguindanao.

Comedy

For the thinking Filipino, Ms Arroyo’s decision to run for representative is a “comedy, if not a tragedy, for the nation,” said Bangon Pilipinas Party standard-bearer Bro. Eddie Villanueva.

“While we respect Ms Arroyo’s decision to run ..., we believe that her action is a violation of the intent of the constitutional provision on the ban on reelection,” Villanueva said.

He described Ms Arroyo’s political maneuver as a “sinister plot to remain in power through the backdoor.”

Two senators called on Ms Arroyo to resign from her post after filing her CoC.

Senators Francis Escudero and Francis Pangilinan, who are lawyers, also disagreed with the Supreme Court decision which struck down as unconstitutional an election law that considered appointed officials to be resigned once they had filed their CoCs.

Pangilinan said the entire government bureaucracy, including the armed forces and police, would be at Ms Arroyo’s beck and call as commander in chief, and easy access to government funds during the entire campaign.

Pangilinan said it was improper for a sitting president to stay on as president as she campaigned for a lower position.

“The temptation to use all the powers of the office to ensure her victory in the elections in the district and that of her allies in other districts nationwide is too difficult to resist especially when one is motivated by political survival.

Disagrees with SC

In a statement, Escudero said delicadeza dictated that government officials running for elective posts next year should not use government resources for campaign purposes, or to receive the salary for a position they no longer want to hold as shown by their filing of CoC for a different position.

“I disagree with the decision of the Supreme Court. We all know that those in power tend to abuse their position and use government funds to serve their political ends,” Escudero said.

He said elected officials running for a different political position too should also resign.

Blanket absolution

A Catholic priest, however, has likened the President’s decision to run for officer in Pampanga to Jesus Christ coming down to serve the people.

During the Mass held before Ms Arroyo filed her CoC, Fr. Roland Moraleja advised her “not to be afraid” of running for representative.

“How can a priest liken to Jesus Christ someone who has yet to confess her sins?” asked the militant Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan).

“Such gratuitous statements seem to disregard all the crimes committed by this regime. The Church should be conscious that it is not used to rehabilitate Ms Arroyo. She has not even confessed her sins yet she is already being given blanket absolution by some,” Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. said in a statement. With reports from Agence France-Presse; Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon; Michael Lim Ubac and Nikko Dizon