Barred from taking a second stab at the presidency, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo today (Nov. 30, 2009) announced that she will run as congresswoman representing her native province of Pampanga.

The reactions were swift and brutal: She’s running – from accountability – because of the legislative immunity she could gain. She may also be angling to become Prime Minister under a new form of government to be ushered in via an amendment to the Constitution.

In a pre-recorded interview with a government radio station and published by GMANews.tv, Mrs. Arroyo said: “I have been mulling different ways to stay involved. After much soul searching, I have decided I will file my certificate of candidacy for Congress in order to serve the hardworking people of my province.”

“I am not ready to step down completely from public service,” she added

Opposition parties have not come forward with any candidate to stand against Mrs. Arroyo in the Pampanga congressional race, although University of the Philippines Prof. Randy David, a staunch critic of the president, has  announced that he will run against her if necessary.

Rep. Mikey Arroyo has said that he is ready to “give way” to Mrs. Arroyo if she decides to run for the congressional seat he is now holding.

Arroyo is second only to dictator Ferdinand Marcos in terms of the length of service as president. Marcos served for 20 years while Arroyo has stubbornly stayed in office for close to nine years now.

Mrs. Arroyo, who first assumed the presidency on January 20, 2001, will have to step down from office on June 30, 2010, to pave the way for her duly-elected successor.

Thanks to the Executive’s control of the national budget – which she dispensed with crass opportunism – Mrs. Arroyo was able to hold Congress captive throughout her term, blunting all moves to impeach her for a range of impeachable offences. She is widely criticized for a sullied record of “lying, cheating, stealing and killing.”

International and international human rights organizations, meanwhile, have condemned Mrs. Arroyo for a “culture of impunity” which allowed the extrajudicial killing of over 1,100 activists, journalists and lawyers and the enforced disappearance of hundreds of others.

Mrs. Arroyo counts the Ampatuan political clan as one of her closest political allies. The Ampatuans are suspected of being the brains behind the grisly Maguindanao massacre of 67 innocent civilians on November 23.

It appears that by running and perhaps winning a seat in Congress, Mrs. Arroyo would be able to obtain legislative immunity against what many expect would be an avalanche of suits she has so far deflected, no thanks to a warped interpretation of presidential immunity and executive privilege.

Others say that by seeking a Congress seat, Mrs. Arroyo is actually positioning to become Prime Minister which the next President may make possible through a change in the constitution from a presidential to a parliamentary form of government.

Mrs. Arroyo also took pride in her closeness to the United States, allowing permanent US military presence in Mindanao, despite constitutional prohibitions against it.

Arroyo’s announcement came on the eve of the deadline set by the Commission on Elections for candidates for national and local positions to file their certificates of candidacy.

Opposition candidates are currently leading the horserace, with Liberal Party standard-bearer Senator Noynoy Aquino and runningmate Senator Mar Roxas emerging as the early favorites.

Mrs. Arroyo’s chosen successor, ruling party candidate Gilbert Teodoro, has vowed to campaign for a change in the charter, if elected. But he is the consistent cellar-dweller in all public opinion polls.

Earlier in the day, the tandems of Bro. Eddie Villanueva of Bangon Pilipinas (Arise Philippines), Senators Manny Villar and Loren Legarda of the Nacionalista Party; and ousted President Joseph Estrada and Mayor Jejomar Binay of the Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino (Force of the Filipino Masses) filed their CoCs at the Comelec national office in Manila.

Senator Jamby Madrigal and former Manila congressman Mark Jimenez issued separate statements that they will also run for president.

Also said to be in the running are Senator Richard Gordon and Metro Manila Development Authority Bayani Fernando.