Representative and former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo bangs the gavel after taking the oath as the new House Speaker at the House of Representatives in Quezon City, Philippines, Monday, July 23, 2018.
NEWLY-INSTALLED Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has dispelled as “black propaganda” some claims that she could become prime minister if the proposed shift to a federal form of government succeeds.
Arroyo pointed out that President Rodrigo Duterte’s Consultative Committee (Con-com) has proposed a presidential federal form of government, not parliamentary.
“The proposed constitution is presidential federal, isn’t it? So, that’s black propaganda,” the former president said in an interview on the sidelines of her relief operations for Dinalupihan, Bataan, yesterday.
Among the senators who floated this possibility were Senators Grace Poe and Panfilo Lacson.
Meanwhile, former Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez previously said the postponement of the 2019 elections would be practical to facilitate the country’s shift to federalism.