MANILA – About 100 Philippine congressmen are jockeying to be included in President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s entourage for her July 30 meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington D.C.
Deputy presidential spokesman Prof. Gary Olivar told a press briefing that Malacañang could not prevent these solons from joining Mrs. Arroyo’s trip to the U.S., but they have to pay their own travel expenses.

Reports have it that no less than 100 congressmen -- or nearly 40 percent of the House of Representatives -- want slots in the Arroyo official delegation trip to the U.S. Many congressmen were reported to have cancelled their bookings for the Egypt trip of Arroyo and opted for the White House instead.

Reports further claimed that the House office has been swamped with requests for their travel papers since Malacañang announced the Arroyo-Obama meeting. In February, about 20 congressmen accompanied Arroyo to Washington, hoping to be part of her meeting with Obama. That meeting  never happened.

Arroyo is flying to the U.S. capital shortly after delivering her last State-of-the-Nation Address on July 27. Her meeting with Obama is slated for July 30.