Arroyo should call it a day - Nograles

MANILA, Philippines - The man who is leading the efforts to amend the 1987 Constitution in the House of Representatives on Monday said President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is better off not running for a congressional seat next year. If he were asked to dispense political advise, House Speaker Prospero Nograles said he would suggest that President Arroyo ditch any plan to run as representative of Pampanga's second district, her rumored political plan after she steps down from office in 2010. "She has attained the highest possible position in this republic already," Nograles said in a text message to GMANews.TV. Nograles, however, was quick to add that the President has never spoken to him about her rumored congressional bid. Critics of the Arroyo administration claim that President Arroyo’s allies in the House are seeking to amend the Constitution in order to prolong her term, or to set in place a parliamentary system of government that would pave the way for her to become prime minister if she wins a congressional seat. Nograles dismissed those claims as speculations. "Critics are always looking at the hole, not the doughnut... [They] find fault where there is none." Nograles is the main author of two resolutions that seek to amend the Charter - the controversial House Resolution 1109, which calls on Congress to convene into a constituent assembly, and HR 737, which seeks to amend the Charter's economic provisions. HR 1109 was approved by the chamber before the session adjourned sine die last June 5. For his part, Senator Edgardo Angara said it was "improbable" that President Arroyo would run for Congress next year, as that would mean cutting short her term so that she could campaign. "I doubt it. She will have to cut short her term. Why would she do that?" Angara told GMANews.TV in a phone interview. The senator also noted that the end of the President's term on June 30, 2010 coincides with the beginning of the term of elected government officials. President Arroyo run for senator in 1992 under Angara's Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP). She bolted from the party in 1997 to form her own Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi), which is now merged with Lakas Christian-Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD). - with Amita Legaspi, GMANews.TV