Former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said she has no plans of becoming House Speaker once again after her name was dragged into coup rumors targeting Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Arroyo on Thursday night (May 18) released a lengthy statement denying any involvement in a House leadership coup and affirming support for both Romualdez and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
“When I learned that there were reports that I was suspected of plotting a ‘coup’ against Speaker Romualdez, I decided I must speak out to clarify my political position. Indeed, some of my actions may have been misconstrued, such as my recent trip with a delegation of Congressmen to Korea for some official meetings,” she said.
“[I]t should be noted that being Speaker once more is no longer part of my political objectives. This has been my position ever since Speaker Romualdez was elected in the 19th Congress, and I continue ot urge my Lakas-CMD partymates to support our party President in that role,” Arroyo added.
The former President, who represents Pampanga’s second district in the House, was demoted Wednesday (May 17) to the position of Deputy Speaker, losing the “senior” label.
Pampanga Rep. Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr. replaced Arroyo as senior Deputy Speaker.
Politiko reported that there were rumors about Arroyo making the rounds of lawmakers to garner their support for a supposed bid to oust Romualdez, a cousin of Marcos.
Arroyo said she’s now focused on representing her district in Congress, backing the administration’s legislative agenda, as well as using her experience as a former President “to help out when I am called upon to do so.
“Outside of my role as Congresswoman, my public interest going forward is to help reduce tensions betwen the United States and China, given that I was strongly allied to both countries when I was President,” she said.
Acknowledging the times she changed her mind about political plans—notably in 2004, when she ran for president after declaring she wouldn’t do so—Arroyo said: “Am I firm in this position? Some may recall that in December 2002, I publicly declared that I would not run for President in 2004. But I had responsibilities of a sitting President then, so later events with serious national security and political implications convinced me to change my mind. I refer to such matters as our war on terrorism following 9-11 and the continuing attempts at destabilization at that time.”
“This time, I am a mere Congresswoman, so issues of national importance no longer depend on my role in Congress. Thus, I have no compelling reasons to change my mind about foregoing my ambitions for the Speakership,” she added.
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