Senator Grace Poe on Monday warned of Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s return as president of the country if the proposed shift to a parliamentary form of government succeeds.
Arroyo has replaced Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez in a surprise move on Monday.
READ: Arroyo takes oath as new Speaker
Asked in an earlier interview over ABS-CBN News Channel about Arroyo’s possible election as the next Speaker, Poe said: “I don’t think I have to repeat myself and remind people about the corruption and all of the other anomalies that happened during her term in office.”
“This is something that the people should be able to imagine: If we turn parliamentary and I believe they will really push for that especially with her leadership, she would be either next in line to be the president of the country or at par with the president,” she added.
“Is this the change that we wanted? Somebody led by the former president, her style of governance during her time?” the senator asked.
Asked if she would prefer to have more of the same (leadership style), the senator quickly answered no.
“I’d rather have somebody totally different— not from the choices that they are presenting right now,” Poe explained.
Arroyo first became president when she was swept to power in 2001 to replace then former President Joseph Estrada.
In 2004, Arroyo ran for president and won in the fraud-tainted 2004 elections, beating Poe’s father, the late actor Fernando Poe Jr.
Poe also ran but lost to President Rodrigo Duterte in the 2016 presidential race. /ee
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