Poe warns public over Arroyo's election as speaker
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Grace Poe on Tuesday warned the public against possible moves to shift to a parliamentary form of government amid efforts to amend the 1987 Constitution after Gloria Arroyo was elected speaker of the House.
In an interview with reporters, Poe, without mentioning the name of Arroyo, reminded the public about the scandals that exploded during the nine-year presidency of the former leader such as the election cheating allegations, rising inflation and the depreciation of the peso.
Poe's father, the late actor Fernando Poe Jr., and Arroyo fought a hotly-contested 2004 presidential election.
Arroyo won the vote, but just monhts after allegations of massive electoral cheating emerged.
Poe said that her father might have sent her a message after Monday's development.
"Let's not get into that. That's a different thing, very personal. I don't understand, but my father might have made sent me a message," Poe told reporters when asked about her mother's reaction to Arroyo's election as speaker.
Poe said that Arroyo and her allies might aim for a parliamentary form of government in which the leader of legislature was the head of the government and was given enormous powers.
The senator also questioned why Arroyo, who was said to be gravely ill during her incarceration due to corruption charges, was suddenly in the pink of health enough to lead the House.
Arroyo won on Monday a leadership struggle in the House against Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez (Davao Del Norte), who is a long-time ally President Rodrigo Duterte.
Plans to oust Alvarez were already afoot as early as last weekend, and they were supposedly led by Duterte's daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.
Arroyo is a veteran of Philippine politics and is the daughter of another former president, Diosdado Macapagal.
His ascension to the speaker's rostrum makrs history as she becomes the first woman to lead the chamber.
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