Arroyo wins Congress seat in Pampanga

(Updated 10:13 PM) SAN FERNANDO CITY, Pampanga - Outgoing President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has been proclaimed as the winner of the congressional race in Pampanga's second district. She was proclaimed around 7 p.m. Wednesday after winning by landslide over her three rivals, including Liberal Party's Adonis Simpao. The post will be vacated by her son, Juan Miguel "Mikey" Arroyo. It would be Arroyo's first time at the House. She used to be a senator during the 9th and 10th Congress before she won the vice presidency in May 1998. Mrs. Arroyo's bid for the House of Representatives is seen by her critics as an attempt to stay in power by getting elected as House Speaker and then leading moves to amend the Constitution. An amendment in the Constitution could pave the way for her to become prime minister. Mrs. Arroyo's brother-in-law, Negros Occidental Rep. Ignacio "Iggy" Arroyo Jr., said the President is likely to target the House Speakership when the new Congress opens in July. Arroyo’s proclamation, announced by Pampanga Provincial Election Supervisor lawyer Temie Lambino, was witnessed by more than her 600 provincemates who gathered at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention. A big crowd also gathered outside the building where the provincial canvassing of votes was held. Arroyo got 77 percent or 169,109 of the 219,592 votes cast in the 22 towns and cities in Pampanga. Her closest rival, Adonis Simpao of the Liberal Party, received only 20,922 votes. Other congressional candidates, independent bets Filipinas Sampang and Feliciano Serrano, got 715 and 3,586 votes, respectively. The provincial election supervisor also proclaimed the winning congresspersons, governor, vice governor, and provincial board members. Besides Arroyo, among those proclaimed congressmen were Carmelo Lazatin, Aurelio Gonzales, and Anna York Bondoc, who will represent the province’s first, third, and fourth districts respectively. Former provincial board member and Lubao town mayor Lilia Pineda, who is known to be Arroyo’s close associate, was also proclaimed governor with 488,521. Pineda defeated reelectionist Gov. Eddie Panlilio, a priest on leave and a Liberal Party candidate, who only got 242,367 votes. Meanwhile, Vice Gov. Joseller Guiao won his reelection bid. Despite the turnout at the local level, LP standard bearers took the province. Sen. Benigno Aquino III of LP won the presidential race with 327,666 votes as against administration presidential bet Gilberto Teodoro Jr.'s 290,462. Sen. Manuel Roxas II of LP won in the vice presidential race with 413,016 votes. He is followed by Jejomar Binay of Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino with 220,357 votes, Sen Loren Legarda of the Nacionalista Party with 129,569 votes, Bayani Fernando of Bagumbayan Party with 66,040 votes, and administration bet Edu Manzano with 29,951 votes. - with Johanna Camille Sisante, KBK, RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV