As the ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD party starts to consolidate its forces in preparation for the opening of a new session of Congress, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is still reluctant to seek the leadership of the House of Representatives despite pleadings from party allies.

Presidential Political Adviser Prospero Pichay Jr. said while she has regained control of the party leadership, the President has opted to stay at the sidelines and let other party members take a crack at the top of the Lower House.

Mrs. Arroyo, who will step down from office next month after nine years in office, will begin a new chapter of her life as congresswoman of the second district of Pampanga. Her allies are now scrambling to field her as a candidate for House

Speaker against rivals from the Liberal Party, the organization led by presidential frontrunner Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.

But Pichay disclosed that administration lawmakers were unable to convince Mrs. Arroyo to run for House Speaker during a meeting of the party last Tuesday night. He admitted that the President got angry when her political allies kept persuading her to seek the speakership.

“I don’t think it’s not impossible to change her mind, but at the moment, she just wants to be like Sonia Gandhi, head of the party but not getting a high position as far as the House is concerned,” Pichay told reporters in the Palace.

“I would rather that we will choose from among the members of Lakas-Kampi our candidate for Speaker,” Pichay said quoting the President.

The meeting, attended by party leaders and dozens of congressmen including 21 neophyte lawmakers from the administration coalition, ended without a clear signal who the administration party will nominate for House Speaker.

Pichay said although Mrs. Arroyo is the party’s strongest contender for the top post in the Lower House, the party would have to respect her decision not to contest the Speakership post.

He said the administration party has enough numbers to take control of the Lower House, citing 109 administration congressmen plus a handful of party-list lawmakers supporting them.

The ruling party is expected to tackle and nominate its House Speaker a week before the July 26 election of the leader at the Lower House.
“The election for House Speaker is on July 26 so we have two weeks left in May and we have the whole month of June,” Pichay said.

At present, Pichay said the ruling party is strengthening its forces and guarding against possible raids from rival political parties. He is also confident that more lawmakers would join the administration bandwagon.

In Tuesday’s meeting, he said the party already gave an orientation course to 21 neophyte congressmen to enable them to have a clear grasp of their duties as lawmakers.

Asked if the ruling party is amenable to coalesce with the Liberal Party at the Lower House, Pichay said they would do so on the condition that the House Speaker would come from the Lakas-Kampi-CMD ranks.

“We are not combative. We are in the House of Representatives to help this new administration. We don’t want to block the legislative agenda of the next administration,” he said.

Pichay said Aquino, the emerging winner of the presidential elections, should even encourage that the House Speaker should come from Lakas-Kampi-CMD party “so there will be transparency in government in line with their thrust.”

Mrs. Arroyo is expected to announce next week the reasons behind her decision to turn down a strong clamor among Lakas-Kampi-CMD members of the 15th Congress to nominate her for speaker of the House of Representatives.

With Mrs. Arroyo’s decision not to run for Speaker, the administration-backed party will choose who from among three senior congressmen will challenge the speakership bid of a Liberal Party nominee.

An LKC caucus held Tuesday night narrowed down the party’s Speaker bets to three – Reps. Edcel Lagman of Albay; Elpidio Barzaga of Cavite and Danilo Suarez of Quezon, who was the latest addition to the list. Deputy Speakers Pablo Garcia of Cebu and Simeon Datumanong of Maguindanao reportedly showed no interest in pursuing the top House post.

On the LP side, Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. is now confronted with a strong challenge from Quezon Rep. Lorenzo Tanada III who, like the former, has also started waging his own campaign for the speakership.

“The President will announce soon why she is not running,” said Lagman who predicted that the announcement will be made next week.