Manila - Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said Monday she would run for a seat in Congress in next year's elections to represent a district in her home province. "Yes, I will file my certificate of candidacy," Arroyo said when asked about calls by residents of the second district of Pampanga province, just north of Manila, for her to become their representative in the House of Representatives.
A representative of Arroyo was expected to file her certificate at the Commission on Elections office in Pampanga on Monday or Tuesday.
The 62-year-old US-trained economist is the first president of the Philippines to seek a lower position after serving as the country's top leader.
She has been president of the Philippines since 2001, when she took over her disgraced predecessor Joseph Estrada who was ousted in a military-backed mass uprising.
In 2004, she was re-elected as president under allegations of massive fraud. Her term expires on June 30.
