The business community has a mixed reaction to President Arroyo’s decision to seek a congressional seat for the second district of Pampanga.

The conservative Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) said the President’s decision to run for Congress is a non-issue to the business community.

In a statement, the PCCI said it is more concerned and focused on maintaining a conducive and competitive investment climate that allows the private sector to function as effective engines of economic development.

“The President’s decision is a personal choice contained within the bounds of the country’s democratic exercise. PCCI believes that any legal challenges to this decision should be made with proper representation at the proper forum,” PCCI said.

Where propriety has become an issue in this instance, at the end of the day, the voters of the second district of Pampanga will place the judgment on the merits of her decision, the statement added.

On the other hand, the Makati Business Club said President Arroyo’s decision only bolsters its long-held suspicion that she is determined to pursue her Charter change agenda with the ultimate objective of having herself installed as the prime minister of a newly formed Philippine parliament.

“Once she reascends to the pinnacle of political power, she will drag us back down the path of cheating, corruption, manipulation, deception, and cynicism,” the MBC statement said.

The elite-MBC has criticized the President even more for filing her candidacy two days after the Maguindanao massacre.

“As the body count was still rising and the public was still reeling in shock and outrage over the unprecedented scale of violence, President Arroyo did not head south to condole with the families of the victims but made her way north for her 50th visit this year to her home province of Pampanga to inspect a dredging project,” the statement added.

MBC further urged the people not to vote candidates under the President’s political party so as not to help her pursue the alleged objective of pursuing the Charter change agenda.