'No reason for GMA to respond to sis' call'

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang said yesterday that there is no reason for President Arroyo to respond to the call of her sister Cielo Macapagal-Salgado for her to abandon her alleged plan to run for Congress next year since she has not yet made any decision on this matter anyway.

Deputy presidential spokes­man Lorelei Fajardo reiterated that the President has not made any declaration of her political plans after she steps down next year.

“She did not say that she is running for Congress,” Fajardo said.

In fact, the President’s aides have been silent on the issue of the President’s political plans because they all claim to have no authority to speak on the matter.

Even her adviser on political affairs, Gabriel Claudio, has indicated that he has not spoken to the President about her political plans.

Claudio said he is clueless about this issue, adding that he does not even accompany the President on her numerous visits to her home province of Pampanga.

It is these visits to Pampanga, which come week after week, that have sparked all the speculations about the President’s supposed plan to run for Congress.

Fajardo, who also serves as presidential adviser for Central Luzon, has said in the past that there was nothing unusual about the President’s frequent visits to Pampanga since it is her home province.

She said the President cannot be faulted for providing various projects to Pampanga considering that it is an important province in terms of agricultural production and other aspects.

If ever the President ends up deciding in favor of running for a seat in Congress as Pampanga’s representative, Fajardo said it is only the electorate or the residents of the province who should give their opinions on this issue.

“It is highly speculative at this time and there is no reason for her sister to give that statement until such time that the President has actually declared her plan to run for Congress,” Fajardo said.

Salgado said there would be “family healing” if her sister would abandon her supposed plan to run for congresswoman in Pampanga’s second district and give way to their brother Arthur.