Deputy Speaker and Pampanga 2nd district Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (Rep. Arroyo's office)

Deputy Speaker and former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo slammed on Sunday, May 28 reports linking First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos to the alleged House coup that had been designed against Speaker Martin Romualdez.

"A report is going around that I was 'duped' by a congresswoman into thinking that the alleged House coup had the blessings of the First Lady," Arroyo, Pampanga's 2nd district representative, said in a Facebook post Sunday morning.

"I am truly sorry that she should even be dragged into this political fantasy of a House coup – it is disrespectful to her and to her intelligence," Arroyo said, referring to Araneta-Marcos.

"Whoever is spreading these pathetic rumors are the ones duping the Filipino people, and they should now move on to the serious business of making positive contributions to national progress," added the deputy speaker.

Arroyo didn't name the congresswoman that she referred to in the post.

Rumors of an ouster plot against Romualdez began to spread in the House following Arroyo's relegation from the senior deputy speaker to a deputy speaker last May 17.

Pundits have viewed this move by the House leadership as a "demotion" on Arroyo after the plot, allegedly hatched by the lady solon, leaked. She has since addressed this by saying that being Speaker is no longer part of her "political objectives".

"I did not have any conversation, here or abroad, with any congressman or congresswoman, or any other politician active or retired, to plot, support, encourage or participate in any way in any alleged House coup," Arroyo underscored.

The 76-year-old politican further said: "Every politician worth his or her salt would know that in the Philippines, no House coup can ever succeed without the consent of the President. That is simply a fact of life in Philippine politics."

Romualdez is the cousin of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.