Arroyo registers for re-election

By John McClean
BBC correspondent in Manila

Arroyo is lagging in the polls

Philippines President Gloria Arroyo has officially registered as a candidate in the presidential election to be held in May.

Opinion polls indicate that she is less popular than the two leading candidates from the opposition - a film actor and a former senator.

President Arroyo on Monday just beat the deadline set for candidates.

She prayed at Manila's Roman Catholic cathedral before crossing the road to register with election authorities.

She will need all the help she can get to overtake two leading opposition candidates.

'Reformer'

The opinion polls indicate that she is trailing behind Fernando Poe, a film actor with no political experience, but plenty of popular appeal.

She also trails Raul Roco, a former senator and minister in Mrs Arroyo's government who has a public reputation rare in Filipino politics for probity.

Mrs Arroyo sees herself as a reforming president.

In particular, she wants to make policies rather than personalities the dominant feature of politics here.

The voters have heard little about policies from the opposition candidates.

All the indications are that when they cast their ballots in May the voters will be more impressed by the personalities of Mr Poe and Mr Roco than by the policies of Mrs Arroyo.