05/11/2010 | 04:26 PM
Gibo admits defeat to cousin Noynoy
CARMELA LAPEÑA, GMANews.TV

Administration bet Gilberto “Gibo" Teodoro Jr. on Tuesday afternoon joined the ranks of presidential aspirants who conceded defeat to his cousin, Liberal Party’s Sen. Benigno “Noynoy" Aquino III.

“Bagama’t hindi pa official, mukhang si Senator Aquino na (Although it’s not yet official, I think Senator Aquino is already the winner in the elections)," Teodoro said during a press briefing at the Lakas-Kampi-CMD headquarters in Greenhills, San Juan.

“I am so far happy with the results [of the elections]," he added.

Partial elections results showed Teodoro at fourth place behind Aquino, former President Joseph Estrada (Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino) and Sen. Manny Villar Jr. (Nacionalista Party).

As of 4:15 p.m., the GMANews.TV partial and unofficial tally on presidential aspirants showed Teodoro with 3,470,136 votes compared to Aquino’s 13,036,271; Estrada’s 8,345,826; and Villar’s 4,680,580.

Before Teodoro, Villar, Richard Gordon (Bagumbayan) and JC de los Reyes (Ang Kapatiran) had also admitted their defeat to Aquino, son of the late President Corazon Aquino and slain Sen. Benigno “Ninoy" Aquino Jr.

Teodoro, a former lawmaker and Defense secretary, said he has no plans of staying in politics, adding that he would rather return to being a family man. “Malaki ang utang ko sa kanila (I now owed a lot to my family). I will go back to being a good husband, a good father," he said.

“I have served my country the best I could. I don't think anyone can ask more of me," he added. He also dismissed calls for him to run for senator in the 2013 midterm elections.

Teodoro thanked his supporters whom he said did not support him but his idea of national unity and positivism. He said he is not blaming anybody for his defeat.

“I did not fight for a political position for myself but for an idea. What can we do right for the country? Winning or losing is secondary. We fight for an idea—an idea of competence. Basic education reform, college graduate opportunities for every family, food security, genuine sustainable agrarian reform, localized peace processes, strong foreign relations, and several others," he said.

He also thanked the media which he said was mostly supportive of him. “Those in front of me, you have been fair. But those not here, I’ll have to reserve my judgment."

Teodoro said he has not spoken with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo about his plans after the elections. —KBK, GMANews.TV

05/11/2010 | 03:44 PM
Gordon concedes to Noynoy

Bagumbayan standard-bearer Richard "Dick" Gordon on Tuesday became the third presidential aspirant to concede defeat to Liberal Party’s Benigno “Noynoy" Aquino III.

In a statement posted on his official Facebook page, Gordon congratulated Aquino on his “spectacular victory" and called upon the nation to unite and support the new administration.

“We accept the will of the people," said Gordon who, as of 3:40 p.m., ranked 6th (446,203 votes) among nine presidential aspirants in GMANews.TV’s partial and unofficial tally.

“I ran a very truthful, straightforward and candid campaign and thought we could run on the basis of our platform, track record and volunteerism," he added in admitting his defeat.

He also said he would like to congratulate all the winners and pray that they serve the country well.

Gordon thanked his supporters, especially his volunteers and “those who gave up their limited resources as a manifestation of trust in his brand of leadership and track record."

Above all, Gordon expressed exhilaration that the country’s first nationwide automated elections on Monday went well despite glitches in the machines used.

“Today, we have a victory for democracy with the successful exercise of our first nationwide automated election despite naysayers and doubters," he said. —Carmela Lapeña/KBK, GMANews.TV

05/11/2010 | 01:08 PM
Ang Kapatiran's JC de los Reyes concedes to Noynoy

Ang Kapatiran Party Presidential candidate John Carlos de los Reyes has conceded to Sen. Benigno"Noynoy" Aquino III of the Liberal Party, a day after the historic nationwide automation was held.

"I conceded as to the electoral count but not as to the platforms I was tasked to push," de los Reyes said in a text message sent to his party's media officer.

"Sen. Aquino is not one with us in these radical reform we need for our country, but I will support his government in other reform efforts we have in common," the text added.

De los Reyes is the youngest among the nine presidential contenders.

His party, which promotes the social teachings of the church, has been supported by several bishops all over the country.

De los Reyes lagged behind pre-election surveys conducted by pollsters Pulse Asia and Social Weather Stations. - RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV

Villar most trusted poll bet, survey reveals

Manila Bulletin - Wednesday, February 24

Nacionalista Party (NP) presidential candidate Senator Manuel Villar Jr. is the most trusted candidate in the May 10, 2010 elections, according to the latest Pulse Asia survey.

While Villar and rival Liberal Party standard-bearer Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III both enjoy majority trust ratings among the candidates vying for the presidency, the NP bet had a better trust rating of 70 percent, against the LP candidate's 64 percent.

This developed as nearly seven out of 10 Filipinos expressed distrust in President Arroyo, attaining the highest distrust rating of 68 percent since March, 2001.

The nationwide survey conducted from January 22 to 26 with 1,800 respondents showed that public distrust in President Arroyo remains the predominant sentiment toward her, four months before her term of office ends.

Based on the same survey, Villar's trust rating improved from the last survey released in December by the same agency, where it showed him and Aquino almost in a virtual tie with a margin of error of negative (-), positive (+) 2 points.

Aquino's trust rating in this survey dropped by 8 points, while the rate of undecided respondents went up to six percentage points to 23 percent.

The newest survey conducted last January 22-26 had at least 1,800 respondents and highlighted key political developments in the Philippines, including the impending retirement of Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Victor Ibrado and the issue of whether President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo should appoint their replacements or leave the task to the next president.

Notably, the survey was also done at a toxic time for Villar when the Senate Committee of the Whole deliberated on the committee report seeking his censure over the C-5 road extension project and the alleged attempt by his allies in the Senate to unseat Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile who chairs the said committee

The survey also came at a time when questions regarding the certainty of the automation of the May, 2010 elections amid delays in the delivery of the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines and the training of teachers for the automated election system (AES).

Coming in third in the ranking of the most trusted presidential candidates was former President Joseph Estrada with 33 percent, followed by administration bet former Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, 32 percent.

In a statement, Villar welcomed the results of the survey which he likened to a "report card for public servants" like him.

"I am grateful to the Filipino people for continuing to put their trust in me and our candidacy.

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Is affiliation with Pres. GMA a bad move for Gibo?

Teodoro impresses MBC, tops mock poll
Manila Bulletin - Thursday, February 18

Officials of the Makati Business Club (MBC) claimed Thursday that Lakas Kampi CMD standard bearer Gilberto "Gibo" Teodoro Jr., who they have admired for his impressive credentials and untainted record in public service, could have been in the forefront of the presidential race for the May 10 elections if not for his association with President Arroyo.

"He's (Gibo) a very impressive person, he has impressive credentials but it's a pity that he is associated with somebody who, to our minds, is not particularly an impressive leader (Mrs. Arroyo)," Ramon del Rosario, MBC chairman, said in an interview.

Del Rosario, who served as finance secretary during the term of then President Fidel V. Ramos, made the comment about Teodoro after he appeared during the presidential candidates' forum hosted by the influential business organization at the Intercontinental Hotel in Makati City.

This developed as another campus in Mindanao has gone green for Teodoro after he topped another mock election at the Mindanao campus of the University of the Philippines.

Thirty-three percent of those who voted in the UP Mindanao mock election picked Teodoro, 45, and the 1989 Bar topnotcher, as the most competent and most qualified among the presidential candidates in the May 10 elections.

Senator Benigno Aquino III came in second with 24.4 percent, 20 percent for Sen. Richard Gordon, third with 20 percent, and Sen. Manny Villar, fourth with 13.3 percent. (Aris Ilagan)Officials of the Makati Business Club (MBC) claimed Thursday that Lakas Kampi CMD standard bearer Gilberto "Gibo" Teodoro Jr., who they have admired for his impressive credentials and untainted record in public service, could have been in the forefront of the presidential race for the May 10 elections if not for his association with President Arroyo. (Aris Ilagan)
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ABS-CBN - Saturday, February 20

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Benigno 'Noynoy' Aquino III has regained the lead over Sen. Manuel Villar in the latest presidential survey conducted January 28-February 3 by Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS).

According to the TNS survey obtained by ABS-CBN News' Ces Oreña Drilon, Aquino was chosen by 41.54% of 3,000 respondents while Villar was picked by 30.63%.

TNS is a global market research firm with an office in the Philippines.

Aquino and Villar were statistically tied in a Pulse Asia survey conducted from January 22 -26, or around a week before the TNS survey, with the Liberal Party bet garnering 37% and the Nacionalista Party (NP) standard-bearer getting 35%. (Read: Aquino, Villar tied in Pulse Asia survey)

Third in the Jan. 28-Feb. 3 TNS survey was former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada of the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) with 11.66%, statistically the same as in the last Pulse Asia survey where he got 12%.

Administration candidate Gilbert Teodoro of the Lakas-Kampi-CMD was fourth with 5.21%, the same as in the last Pulse Asia survey.

Bro. Eddie Villaneuva got 2%, Senator Richard Gordon got 1.7%, Senator Jamby Madrigal got 0.22%, also statistically the same as what they received in the January 22 to 26 Pulse Asia survey.

Villar ethics case as factor

The TNS survey was done around a week after a heated controversy over Villar's ethics case erupted in the Senate, which could be one reason for the changes in the ratings of the two leading presidential candidates.

The Senate committee of the whole's report accusing Villar of unethical conduct in connection with the C-5 road extension project was taken up during the plenary on January 25. The committee had ordered him to return over P6 billion in government funds that were allegedly wasted for the project. (Read: Senators clash in plenary over Villar ethics case)

On January 26, Senate President Enrile also accused Villar of trying to bribe him to change his stand on the issue. (Read: Enrile claims Villar tried to buy him off)

The Senate, however, failed to act on the report after Villar's supporters failed to show up on the last session day of the 14th Congress.

NP downplays survey results

The TNS survey was apparently commissioned by the Aquino camp.

Asked for his comment, NP spokesman and senatorial bet Gilbert Remulla said the report does not disclose how the questions were phrased and whether they were slanted for or against any candidate

"Alam namin na ito ay galing sa Liberal Party. Ayaw nilang banggitin 'yung pangalan eh. Dahil doon, hindi rin namin alam kung ano 'yung mga tanong, kung ano ang slant n'yan, kaya sa ganon ay hihintayin na lang namin ang magiging resulta ng survey ng SWS at Pulse Asia," Remulla said.

("We know this was commissioned by the Liberal Party. They don't want to disclose the name. We also do not know the questions, whether these were slanted...So, we'll just wait for the results of SWS [Social Weather Stations] and Pulse Asia.")

According to the TNS website, it first set up an office in the Philippines in 1983. It offers "full service operations covering all aspects of marketing research and consulting" and claims to be "No. 1 in the Philippines for customised market research."

"Almost 30 years of research experience has made us experts in understanding the Philippines trade and consumer environment. These insights are critical to helping our clients make their important business decisions," TNS Philippines says.

"TNS Philippines offers in-house field and data processing services backed by stringent quality control procedures to make sure the analysis and recommendations we deliver are accurate and timely," the firm says on its website. – report from Ces Drilon, ABS-CBN News

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MANILA, Philippines - Acknowledging the “big and arduous task” ahead for the ruling party, President Arroyo directed yesterday her party mates to work hard to ensure the victory of Lakas-Kampi-CMD standard-bearer Gilbert Teodoro and running mate Edu Manzano in the May 2010 elections.

"Hindi po ako natatakot na tanggapin ang hamon na ito ‘pagkat di ko hamon ito, hamon po nating lahat," Teodoro his partymates and stalwarts, led by President Arroyo during Lakas-Kampi convention at PICC, Pasay City.

Mrs. Arroyo gave the order just before she formally relinquished the chairmanship of the Lakas-Kampi-CMD to Teodoro during the party’s jampacked national convention at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.

She said with the party’s selection of “capable, competent, energetic leaders to lead us into the next generation, our national initiative to fight poverty and reach the First World within this generation can succeed.”

“But, first things first. Let us get them elected, elected with as big a mandate as you our leaders in the countryside and urban centers can win from our people, so that they can go beyond building on the gains of the programs of this administration and lead a new reform agenda on pro-people reforms, ever guided by the institutional ideology of our party, the ideology of Christian democracy enriched by your interfaith dialogue with our Muslim brothers and sisters,” Mrs. Arroyo said.

“This is a big and arduous task. But our party has been challenged many times before and has won,” she said.

“It is now time to consolidate our ranks and fortify our party for the electoral battle ahead,” she said.

Teodoro continues to rate poorly in surveys but administration officials said the ratings would go up once he goes out and presses flesh. Mrs. Arroyo described Teodoro as “young and brilliant.”

“This is a far-sighted decision and it keeps the tradition of free, democratic, and transparent selection of candidates that our party holds sacred,” the President said.

She said she was heartened by the presence of so many familiar faces and recognizable names that stood by Lakas-Kampi-CMD despite some defections.

“There’s no one here dragged or bused from just anywhere. But all are leaders, genuine leaders who are all here, as many as can fit in this room,” Mrs. Arroyo said.

“So many leaders here from all over the country with a genuine mandate from their own people demonstrates that indeed our party is a party that can win,” she said.

The President stressed that Lakas-Kampi-CMD has been the largest political party in the country for 15 of the last 17 years and that 72 percent of the country’s elected leaders are part of it.

“Think of it: almost three out of every four elected leader is a party member. This overwhelming majority confirms that our party is the true party of the people,” she said.

She also said the merger of Lakas-CMD and Kampi has been upheld by the Commission on Elections despite the “legal challenges thrown our way by those whose personal interests were prejudiced by the merger.”

“May each and every party leader and each and every party grassroots member work hard and work together for the victory of our party, our party’s standard-bearers, and all our party’s candidates in 2010,” Mrs. Arroyo said.

Rule of law

“Our engagement in politics is to serve the people in the context of a peaceful Filipino society built on the rule of law that enables every citizen to pursue his dreams and renders to each citizen what is his due,” Teodoro said in his speech.

“We shall protect the life of each and every citizen. This respect for life shall be from the moment of conception to the moment of death. The protection of life is guaranteed by our Constitution, and on this principle, there is no compromise,” Teodoro said.

“The human rights of each Filipino citizen shall be guaranteed and promoted at home and protected abroad,” he said.

He also said family would take center stage under his administration.

“The right of parents to bring up their children cannot be violated since the children are the coming generations and on their will rests the structuring of the future of our country and of civilization,” Teodoro pointed out.

Job, education

He also promised to tackle unemployment squarely and complement the effort through enhanced public education and health.

“Every Filipino has a right to be fully employed, because it is in work that a person finds his fulfillment as a human being and gains the means to secure his dignity,” he said.

“And to assure our citizens the exercise of human rights, together, as a nation, we shall address the four faces of poverty: poverty of the mind, poverty of the pocket, poverty of the environment, and poverty of relationships,” he said.

“Education and health are fundamental rights of citizens, thus constitute a duty of the state. Like the IRA (Internal Revenue Allotment) for the LGUs, poor families shall have a direct share of the annual national income to ensure that their children have complete basic education,” he said.

“Access to tertiary education shall be universal and the state shall institute innovative financial arrangements to enable each home to have a college diploma, and in every family, a college graduate,” he pointed out.

“Indigent families shall be automatically and universally covered by state health insurance and shall pay no excess fees for their healthcare and hospitalization,” he said.

Defections belittled

He also belittled recent high-profile party defections

“It’s natural in politics. That’s the way it is. Some leave and some take their oath,” Teodoro said in Filipino, referring to Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos, her husband former senator Ralph Recto and Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte who moved to the Liberal Party.

Teodoro said he still has the backing of 17 regional Lakas-Kampi-CMD leaders who all attended the party’s national convention.

He said he welcomes offers of help, but stressed they should be in accordance with party principles and guidelines, including those coming from his uncle businessman Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco.

Malacañang, meanwhile, said President Arroyo doesn’t mind the defections very much, and that she doesn’t see them as acts of betrayal.

“When you get old in politics, you become very understanding, you have to give some leeway to the wishes of other people,” Ermita said in Filipino.

“But when you are still young, your first reaction is the opposite. If you don’t agree with what has been done, your reaction is to pick a fight immediately. When you get to be more matured, you become more understanding,” he added.

Ermita also said that defections are expected in these situations because not all of the aspirants can be accommodated.

In the case of Batangas, Ermita said that Santos’ transfer to the LP has made it easier for Lakas-Kampi-CMD to move.

“Now the battle lines are very defined. That’s what I mean,” Ermita said.

‘Game na’

Manzano said he’s got what it takes to be vice president and that he’s ready to face his opposition rivals who are faring better in surveys.

“In questioning my qualifications for the vice presidency simply because of one of my professions, my detractors virtually made a wholesale condemnation of those in the entertainment industry as being unfit and incapable of providing competent leadership to our people,” Manzano said in his acceptance speech.

He said his being asked to be Teodoro’s running mate was “a daunting challenge that I find most difficult to reject.”

“What they (detractors) do not realize is that in effect, they also question the intellectual capacity of everyday Filipinos to decide who their leaders should be,” Manzano said.

Manzano proudly claimed that he probably had more experience at 54 than any of his opponents from the other political parties.

He served in the United States Air Force during his younger years and was able to take up a course in civil engineering as part of his military service.

When he returned to Manila as a young adult, Manzano studied economics at the De La Salle University and on the side, became a judo black belter and champion.

He became vice mayor of Makati City in 1998. He ran for mayor in 2001 but lost to Jejomar Binay.

Manzano said he sees nothing wrong with a political party bringing in some star power to boost its chances in the polls.

“There’s nothing wrong with that. I think even John McCain did it and many people jumped on the Obama bandwagon,” he said.

“Celebrity appeal is always something that’s a given. Any candidate for that matter always looks for someone who can boost his chances and I can only be so glad to help Secretary Gibo,” he said.

“Sarah Palin’s experience was limited to Alaska. In my case, I’ve been president of the Vice Mayors’ League for a long time. I have been around the Philippines. I had a chance to network with my fellow vice mayors who are now mayors and governors so I think I bring a little bit more to the table than just celebrity appeal,” Manzano said on being compared to former Alaska governor and US vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Palin provided star power to the Republican Party but she had to face ridicule during the campaign for her limited knowledge in foreign affairs.

Doomed

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. and Sen. Francis Pangilinan said the administration is destined to lose in the elections because of the many controversies that hounded it in the past eight years.

“I don’t think that they are running at all. And the biggest question mark is (Vice President) Noli (de Castro). Why is Noli so quiet? Has he entered into a modus vivendi with (President) Gloria (Arroyo)? So that when Gloria runs for congresswoman in Pampanga she can make an announcement that she resigns and lets Noli become president in the meantime… That is a malicious scenario,” Pimentel said during the Kapihan sa Senado forum.

Pimentel also said Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri’s father, Bukidnon Gov. Jose Zubiri, might also bolt the administration party to join the Liberal Party.

“One thing is certain, the administration has no hope of attracting more followers,” he said.

“If (Lakas-Kampi-CMD) miserably failed to deliver the votes in the 2007 Senate elections despite their machinery, how will they be able to deliver the votes now in an even more challenging presidential race? If they failed then despite being more or less a party intact, how will they deliver now when they are facing massive defections?” Pangilinan asked.

“I don’t know. He’s not here but he has not left the party. I cannot comment on the matter,” Zubiri said on his father’s rumored defection to the LP. The younger Zubiri himself said he would remain with Lakas. –With Marvin Sy, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Jess Diaz, Aurea Calica, Dino Balabo - By Paolo Romero and Jaime Laude (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)

If the ruling party’s presidential bet Gilberto Teodoro Jr. thinks that choosing TV host-politician Edu Manzano as his running mate would ensure a win in the 2010 elections, he could be wrong, a political analyst said.

For Teodoro to choose Manzano only made the Lakas-Kampi-CMD presidential bet look “desperate," because it showed that none of the popular vice presidential bets, whom the administration reportedly courted, wanted to run the race with him, Ramon Casiple explained.

“The fact that he ended with Edu meant nobody wanted to run with him," he said in a phone interview with GMANews.TV on Friday.

Casiple added that it was “debatable" why Manzano was chosen, because the TV host-politician does not even have the “masa appeal" of a celebrity endorser – often the main reason why candidates with poor poll ratings go for popular actors.

It was also one of the “conventional traits," Casiple said, that Teodoro needed to endear himself to ordinary folk to pull up his poor ratings in the presidential surveys. Conventional traits include machinery, money, organization, popularity, among others.

In a recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, Teodoro garnered only four percent of the votes when respondents were asked for their most preferred successor to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

According to Casiple, what made the Teodoro-Manzano tandem look more desperate is that they came from two different sectors – show business and politics. “They might end up not appreciating each other. They may end up having disagreements because they don’t have the same platforms."

Ronaldo Puno, Lakas-Kampi-CMD secretary general, stressed however that choosing the actor was a right move and that he would “never bet on losers."

But Casiple thought otherwise, saying that based on Manzano’s record in the political arena, he does not even have the continuous track record of a winner. A former Makati City vice mayor, Manzano had lost to incumbent Mayor Jejomar Binay in the 2001 mayoral race.

The administration bets “must really do their homework" if they wanted to win next year’s elections, the analyst stressed.

Casiple stressed that the 54-year-old actor would be pitted against Binay once again in the 2010 vice presidential race, along with “more popular candidates" Senators Loren Legarda and Manuel “Mar" Roxas II. – Aie Balagtas See, GMANews.TV

THE Lakas-Kampi Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) is looking at the possibility of a Mindanaoan as running mate of Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro.

This came up during a meeting yesterday of the Lakas-Kampi national executive committee (NEC) meeting in Malacañang.

"Leaders of the party or members of the execom coming from Mindanao were very vocal and very passionate about the need for the party to consider somebody who will represent the interest of Mindanao," said Gabriel Claudio, presidential adviser for political affairs Gabriel Claudio and party secretary general.

He said the NEC members also suggested that the party give "top priority to somebody who belongs not only to the party but to the national executive committee itself."

Lakas-Kampi’s vice presidential and senatorial bets are expected to be known on November 19 when the party holds its national convention at the PICC.

During the national convention, Teodoro will take over the chairmanship of the party from President Arroyo who will assume the post of president emeritus.

Claudio said three prominent personalities are being considered as Teodoro’s running mate but declined to name them.

Among the names earlier floated were Sen. Loren Legarda of the Nationalist People’s Coalition, Sen. Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. of Lakas-Kampi, former Optical Media Board chairman Edu Manzano, and Tourism Secretary Joseph Durano.

Revilla declined, saying he would be a more effective public servant as a senator.

He also said he could not turn down the appeal of his father, former senator Ramon Revilla, form him to remain a senator.

There are seven Mindanaoans in the NEC. They are Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, who is the party’s president for Mindanao; Rep. Simeon Datumanong, senior vice president; Tawi-Tawi Rep. Nur Jaafar, vice president for the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao; and Prospero Pichay, head of the Local Water Utilities Administration.

The three others are regional chairmen -- Surigao del Norte Rep. Glenda Ecleo (Caraga), Gov. Aurora Cerilles (Zamboanga Peninsula) and Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan of ARMM.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, asked about Zubiri’s chances in the vice presidential race, said anyone the administration chooses is expected to "fair very, very well" in the elections.

Zubiri was elected in 2007 and will serve as senator until 2013. If ever he runs in 2010 and loses, he could resume his position as senator.

Ermita said a Teodoro-Zubiri tandem would bode well for the administration as the two are expected to complement each other, present a balanced team, and eventually boost each other’s chances in the elections.

He added it would show Mindanaoans their interests are not forgotten.

Zubiri is not inclined to run as vice president.

"I cannot abandon my post at this point. I still have a lot of work to do here," he said.


‘DELIBERATE’ SEARCH


Ermita said the administration is not having difficulty finding a running mate for Teodoro. He said the party just wants to be "deliberate" in the search instead of rushing into a decision.

He said the party has a "deep bench" of potential candidates.

Ermita said the party is looking for a vice presidential candidate who was "presidential traits," noting the vice president assumes as acting president when the chief executive is on a foreign trip.

He said the party is also looking for someone who could generate votes not just for himself but for Teodoro as well.

He stressed the party is not closing its doors to candidates who are not from Mindanao or Lakas-Kampi members.

Claudio belied talks the party is having difficulty getting a partner for Teodoro because of Teodoro’s low survey ratings.

He said surveys are "very temporary conditions" and Teodoro’s rating would improve once he steps down form his post as defense secretary, likely next week before the convention, and focuses on his preparations for the elections. – With JP Lopez

Source

Who's Gibo's VP? It's a choice among Bong, Edu, Ace, Loren

Source: GMA News TV

Posted: 11/5/2009

Two male stars, an equally good-looking tourism official, and a "prodigal daughter." One of them could add luster to the candidacy of Gilberto "Gibo" Teodoro Jr. by becoming the running mate of the administration party's top bet, who remains lagging in presidential preference surveys.

Party president Eduardo Ermita has confirmed reports that Senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr., television host Edu Manzano, Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano, and Senator Loren Legarda, are among those being considered as the vice presidential bet of the Lakas-Kampi-CMD party.

“Ace Durano, that’s correct. Si Edu Manzano was mentioned also. Revilla, Ace, Edu," Ermita confirmed to reporters on Wednesday during a press briefing in Malacañang.

However, Revilla earlier expressed reluctance to run for vice president. Last March, Revilla said that his ailing father, former Sen. Ramon Revilla Sr., discouraged him from seeking the second highest post in the land because he could be risking his political career.

No word yet from Manzano's camp. The actor, who resigned as chair of the Optical Media Board last August, is also being considered as among the senatorial bets of the United Opposition.

The chances of Teodoro pairing up with Durano, meanwhile, are unclear, as Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC) spokesman Rex Gatchalian said earlier in the day that Durano is part of their senatorial slate.

Durano, who has been serving the Arroyo Cabinet for several years now, was the spokesperson of the ruling party in the 2007 elections. He was appointed as acting general manager of the Philippine Tourism Authority in May 2008. He served as representative of Cebu’s fifth district, the bailiwick of his family, from 1998 to 2004.

Prodigal daughter

Ermita said the ruling party was also considering Legarda as Teodoro’s running mate, adding that the administration was ready to welcome back its "prodigal daughter."

Legarda sought a senatorial seat in 1998 under the administration’s Lakas-NUCD-UMDP party. She received the most votes (more than 15 million) in the race.

In the impeachment trial against former President Joseph Estrada at the Senate in January 2001, Legarda was among those who voted “yes" to open the controversial “second envelope" containing supposed evidence showing Estrada held a secret P3.3 billion bank account under the name “Jose Velarde."

However, in 2004, Legarda shifted loyalty to the opposition, and became the running mate of actor Fernando Poe Jr. in the national elections. The tandem lost to administration bets President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and then Senator Noli de Castro.

In 2007, Legarda remained with the opposition and ran as second-term senator. She became the front runner in the race, receiving more than 18 million votes.

Despite the perceived turncoatism, Legarda is still regarded as an asset of the administration. Ermita said Lakas-Kampi-CMD "is very serious" in forging a coalition with the Nationalist People’s Coalition, the party that will field Legarda as its vice presidential bet.

“Kung saan inaakala na mananalo siya at magagawa niya ang kaniyang gagawin, yun ang napakahalaga (What’s more important is where we think she could win and continue her endeavors)," said Ermita. - GMANews.TV