CEBU, Philippines - Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro cannot yet say that he is the official presidential candidate of the ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD of the administration party.
“Nobody can say that. October 21 then we can say. This time, I’m the consensus right now,” Teodoro said in an interview with reporters yesterday during his visit to Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia.
The Lakas-Kampi-CMD will still have to confirm Teodoro’s candidacy this coming October 21.
As to the party’s vice presidentiable, Teodoro said that the one who has brought his name forward is Secretary Ronnie Puno, but he said that this will also need confirmation on Oct 21.
“Even my own purported or future possible candidacy must be confirmed by the party after consultation with everybody. Secretary Puno is very, very supportive of me,” he said.
Teodoro said has also not talked to Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane’s about his purported ambition to run as vice president.
Teodoro’s also belied reports that majority of the congressmen have a tendency to support his cousin, Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, who belongs to the Liberal Party.
He said he wonders if they are true since he claimed to receive calls from majority of the congressmen who said they support him.
“I’m not aware of it. As a matter of fact, some congressmen have called me saying that majority have signed for me and how could that happen?” he said, adding that he thanked Cebuano congressmen for their support.
Just like Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero he also expressed fears that there will be a failure of elections with the implementation of the poll automation.
“Well, ako takot din. This is a new technology and I, for one, am also very, very keen on having credible and honest elections,” he said
“I will have to study what we will do because being the administration party, we have to be careful and doubly certain of what we do because of the fact that all accusing fingers may be pointing at us once again,” he told reporters.
Teodoro will be back on Oct. 12 for the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement on the transfer of the Philippines Central Command headquarters to Mactan Island.
Last Aug. 15, during his earlier visit, he had also welcomed Capitol’s allocation of 1,000 hectares in Tuburan town to be used for a military camp.
He will be discussing with Garcia how the 80-hectare lot in Cebu City where CentCom is situated will revert back to Capitol. Garcia plans to recover all provincial properties, including the CentCom lot. — Garry B. Lao/BRP (THE FREEMAN)