GMA'S BID, A MATTER OF SELF-PRESERVATION--KIKO PANGILINAN

"I am not surprised. She is still motivated by political survival at all costs," says Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan of PGMA's recent announcement that she will run for a seat in Congress representing the 2nd district of Pampanga.

"I recall Senator Joker Arroyo saying that her running for Congress would be demeaning. But to PGMA, nothing is demeaning when it comes to political survival. Running for public office as a means to protect one's personal interests has been done countless of times in the past by many other politicians. Her decision to run for Congress is no different. Since the 'Hello, Garci' controversy, President Arroyo's sole focus has been political survival, and it is still political survival that has pushed her to seek a congressional seat."

"For GMA, it is better to be in office than out of it, because the office and powers that come with it will be used as a vehicle to protect herself. This has little to do with public service and has more to do with protecting one's back from the threat of criminal prosecution. She is desperately looking for a soft landing after 2010. She will win, yes, and she will try her best to use the office to protect herself. I doubt it very much though if she will succeed in finding a way out, in achieving the soft landing she desires."

"In the final analysis, it is said that history can be a cruel judge, and she cannot escape the judgment of history. None of us can."