Former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—Despite her medical condition and various graft and plunder charges hounding her, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will seek a second term as representative of Pampanga’s second district.
Her eldest son, Ang Galing Pinoy Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo, filed her certificate of candidacy at 3 p.m. Wednesday at the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) provincial office at the capitol grounds here.
“Para kay GMA (For GMA),” Mikey said as he presented documents to lawyer Lydia Pangilinan, Pampanga election supervisor. These include a certificate of nomination from Lakas-CMD and a letter through which Arroyo authorized her son to file the COC on her behalf.
Mikey did not say why his mother could not file her COC herself. When asked if she was sick, he told reporters that he was not his mother’s doctor.
Five of six mayors in the district accompanied Mikey. Interviewed separately later, Mayors Eduardo Guerrero (Floridablanca), Mylyn Pineda (Lubao), Yolanda Pineda (Sta. Rita), Lala Leoncio (Sasmuan) and Condralito de la Cruz (Porac) said they would campaign for Arroyo.
Asked how his mother’s health would impact on her campaign and work in the House of Representatives should she be reelected, Mikey said: “We will cross the bridge when we get there.”
No other member of the family came. Like Mikey, his father, lawyer Jose Miguel Arroyo, is a registered voter of Lubao.
Gov. Lilia Pineda, Arroyo’s political ally, did not join Mikey because she was attending a budget hearing on Wednesday afternoon.
Musicians blared their horns and hit their drums to welcome Mikey and other officials. It was raining but some 30 supporters stayed on. They all wore shirts printed with “I Love CGMA.”
Arroyo, who served as president for nine years, is the first president to win a lower position after her stint in Malacañang.
A year in her first term in Congress was spent in detention at the St. Luke’s Medical Center in Taguig City and Veteran’s Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City due to a degenerative bone ailment and electoral sabotage case. She was freed after posting bail, resuming her duties in Pampanga on July 27 this year.
While Arroyo showered the second district with projects during her presidency, she still managed to deliver some as a representative despite her ailment and detention, Department of Budget and Management reports showed.
A day before the filing of her COC, Arroyo asked the Sandiganbayan to determine if there was sufficient basis for the Office of the Ombudsman to file plunder charges against her for the alleged misuse of P366 million in Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office funds from 2008 to 2010.
As of Wednesday, no candidate, either supported by a political party or an independent, had filed a COC to challenge Arroyo’s reelection bid.
In Ilocos Norte, the Marcoses and their allies should expect a stroll in the park as they run for reelection on their second terms with yet no known challengers.
Before filing their COCs on Wednesday, Gov. Imee Marcos and candidates in her slate gathered at the Ilocos Norte Centennial Arena in Laoag City for the traditional hand-raising of local officials running under her One Ilocos Norte ticket. The Marcoses’ Kilusang Bagong Lipunan had coalesced with the Nacionalista Party.
Ilocos Norte Rep. Imelda Marcos, the governor’s mother, filed her COC ahead of the group when she went to the Comelec office at 8 a.m.
Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas also joined the Marcoses’ ticket in his bid for reelection. Fariñas is expected to file his COC on Friday.
Fariñas earlier told reporters that he was surprised when Chevylle Fariñas, Association of Barangay Captains president in Laoag City, filed her COC to replace her husband, outgoing Laoag Mayor Michael Fariñas, the lawmaker’s nephew.
Rep. Fariñas failed to hide his disappointment when Chevylle filed her candidacy without the family reaching a consensus as to who will run for the seat.
“It felt like they (Michael’s camp) have closed all avenues for negotiation. We still have until Friday to file. There was no agreement [among the family members] as to [Chevylle’s] candidacy,” he said. With reports from Cristina Arzadon and Desiree Caluza, Inquirer Northern Luzon