The confirmation by some administration allies in the House of Representatives that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will be seeking a seat in Congress in the 2010 elections adds credence to fears that her ultimate aim is to be prime minister of a parliamentary government and thus remain in power, Sen. Loren Legarda said Sunday.

“Nobody denies that President Arroyo has every right to run for Congress after her term as president of the Philippines expires. But why is there a need to amend the Constitution because she is running for Congress?” Legarda asked.

In the House of Representatives, Quezon Rep. Erin Tanada, a senior Liberal Party congressman and a member of the administration coalition in the House, said that a parliament seat, not a congressional seat, is what President Arroyo is eyeing in her reported quest to represent Pampanga in the 2010 elections.

“Yes, we will have elections in 2010. They will be parliamentary elections and not presidential elections,” he said as he linked the adoption of House Resolution 1109 to Pres. Arroyo’s frequent visits to Pampanga.

The other day, she noted, Pampanga Rep. Aurelio Gonzales and Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman said Mrs. Arroyo would be running for a seat in Congress, although Pangandaman later said he was misquoted.

Senator Legarda said that an SWS survey held last Feb. 20-23 said that 43 percent of voting-age Filipinos do not believe President Arroyo would step down in 2010; only 31 percent believed she would do so.

The senator said the way the Lower Chamber “railroaded” the passage of the controversial House Resolution 1109 calling for a Constituent Assembly to amend the Constitution even without the participation of the Senate is proof that the Arroyo administration intends to extend its term.

“I appeal to the members of the House to put love of country above personal ambitions and concentrate on the more urgent needs of our people at the present time,” she said.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said the Malacanang-instigated move to amend the Constitution could backfire on the administration.

“The unintended consequence of the passage of House Resolution ll09 was to incite public anger,” he said.

He said it is an open secret that the arms of administration congressmen were twisted by Malacañang into voting in favor of the resolution under pain of having their allocations from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), generally known as pork barrel, withheld, which could be detrimental to their reelection bids.

Pimentel also voiced objection to the call of some congressmen for the Supreme Court to rule on the constitutionality of House Resolution 1109 in response to a petition filed by lawyer Oliver Lozano.

At this point, he said, the congressmen merely want the Supreme Court to issue an advisory ruling on whether or not what the House did was right. But the congressmen ought to be reminded, he said, that the SC does not advise would-be-litigants.“It issues decisions when there is a legal issue that is ripe for adjudication. The House resolution does not meet that criterion,” Pimentel said.

“As far as we are concerned, Charter change is already dead. The senators have unanimously adopted a resolution rejecting the method being used by the House to amend the Charter because it is unconstitutional.

Besides, there is no more time to do it before the 2010 elections.”

On the other hand, Congress leaders continued to say that opposition claims that Mrs. Arroyo is seeking a seat in Congress are nothing but speculation.

“Please, let’s not misinterpret her actions. Her trips are part of governance, not politicking. Her purpose to serve the people is intentionally being clouded by those who view her visits to Pampanga as campaigning. This is very unfair to our hardworking President who remains in the governance mode,” Rep. Danny Suarez of Quezon said.

Suarez, chairman of the House Committee on Oversight, said the public should allow the President to continue doing what she believes is best and right for the nation and the people.

Lakas-Kampi Reps. Rodito Albano of Isabela and Reylina Nicolas of Bulacan also chided Arroyo critics for putting malice in all her moves.

“Let’s not make it appear as if the President visits only Pampanga because she also visits other provinces to check on the needs of the people. Let’s not interpret her body language because she has her own plans and will decide on her own,” Nicolas said.