In Monday's session at the House of Representatives, Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo stayed on the floor to hear her younger son Camarines Sur Rep. Dato Arroyo defend her against personal attacks by two congressmen, but walked out as one of those congressmen spoke to make an interpellation.

Mrs. Arroyo stayed in her seat after the roll call, then heard her son deliver a privilege speech defending her administration from allegations of corruption, and blasting Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello and Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casino for unparliamentary behavior.

After Arroyo's privilege speech, Casino stood up to make a manifestation that served as his interpellation. As he spoke, Mrs. Arroyo stood from her seat, picked up her bag and walked out of the floor of Congress.

In her first two session days at the House of Representatives two weeks ago, Mrs. Arroyo stayed on the floor just long enough to be counted in the roll call before leaving, avoiding two consecutive privilege speeches by Bello and Casino.

Her spokeswoman Elena Bautista-Horn said Mrs. Arroyo just stayed at her office after the roll call as a "personal choice," and did not mean to stay away from a possibly awkward situation of being present on the floor while a fellow congressman reviled her in a privilege speech.

"I guess it's a personal choice that she leaves," Horn said, adding that in her first two session days, Mrs. Arroyo proceeded to her office to monitor the proceedings from there.

Horn said Mrs. Arroyo heard the privilege speeches of Bello and Casino but she just shrugged off their allegations of her graft and human rights abuses.

"What will it get her (if she responds)? Everyone speaks on the floor and they have the privilege to deliver their speeches. But we wish that they would do that within the guidelines because some of the speeches were below the belt," Horn said.

Bello and Casino delivered privilege speeches on Monday and Tuesday denouncing the Arroyo administration, and even made personal attacks against her for allegedly being involved in some irregularities during her term as president.

Horn said Mrs. Arroyo heard the personal attacks that have already been expunged from the records of the House of Representatives, and that she expects to be criticized some more during her term as congresswoman of Pampanga.

"She just worked on her desk, then sometimes she'd stop to listen then continue working. I guess she knows that when we come into Congress that she would be criticized, but we wish that it would be within the bounds," Horn said when asked what Mrs. Arroyo's reaction was when she heard the personal attacks.