Poll agency rejects plea to stop Arroyo’s Congress bid

MANILA – The Philippine Commission on Elections (Comelec) rejected for lack of merit on Thursday a second petition seeking the disqualification of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from seeking a congressional seat in her home province of Pampanga in Central Luzon in the coming May polls.

In its decision, the Comelec pointed out there is no law which prevents the President from running for a lower elective position like being a member of the House of Representatives.

The second petition for the President’s disqualification was filed before the Comelec by Congresswoman Risa Hontiveros of the militant party-list group Akbayan.

Aside from questioning the legality of the President’s decision to run for Congress, Hontiveros argued that as sitting President, Mrs. Arroyo has effectively denied her political opponents “equal opportunity” in the coming elections.

Hontiveros pointed out that as the Malacanang resident, President Arroyo has all the government resources at her command, including financial, to woo Pampanga residents during the elections.

She added she would not ask the Comelec to reconsider its decision. Instead, she said she would elevate the issue to the Supreme Court which is the final arbiter on such cases.

President Arroyo’s lawyer said that with the rejection, the road has been cleared for her to run in the coming polls.

But Hontiveros insisted the Comelec ruling is not yet final because its function is only ministerial in the sense that it can only accept certificates of candidacy from those running for elective positions in May.

Earlier, the Comelec rejected, also for lack of merit, the first petition for the President’s disqualification which was filed by lawyer Elly Pamatong.

The first ruling became even more controversial when Pamatong protested and called the Comelec commissioner as “corrupt.”

As a result, the Comelec cited Pamatong in contempt, ordered his arrest and his detention for 10 days at the Manila city hail.

President Arroyo is running for a seat to represent the second congressional district of Pampanga in the House of Representatives in the May polls.

Her son, incumbent Congressman Mikey Arroyo, volunteered to withdraw in favor of his mother although he is allowed by law to seek reelection for his third and final term.

But the political opponents of the Arroyos have complained that all the odds are stacked in the President’s favor because she has the entire resources of the government at her beck and call.

For instance, her opponents pointed out that before she announced her plan to run for Congress, the President has already visited her congressional district more than 50 times to inaugurate projects such as farm-to-market roads, schoolbuildings and even artesian wells in “barangays” (villages).

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