CEBU, Philippines - Cebu Governor Gwendolyn F. Garcia and 50 other provincial governors from all over the country have forged a “multiparty alliance” to campaign and deliver the votes for Lakas-Kampi-CMD standard-bearer Gilberto Gibo Teodoro, who they described as the “best, brightest and most capable candidate” in this year’s presidential race.
In a manifesto of support adopted last week, the governors said their decision to back Teodoro was reached after careful consideration of the track record, qualifications and platform of government of each of the presidential bets in this year’s national elections.
The manifesto of support said that “Having completed our review, our candidate for President has to be ‘Gibo’ Teodoro and no other, and for whom we hereby commit ourselves to campaigning nationwide, among our local constituencies—our vice-governors, our board members, mayors, vice-mayors, councilors, barangay captains and other local leaders— with the view to delivering to him the highest possible number of votes in our local areas.”
Among those who signed the manifesto forming a “multiparty” alliance to support Teodoro’s presidential bid were Governors Amado Espino Jr. of Pangasinan; Michael Keon of Ilocos Norte; Deogracias Victor Savellano of Ilocos Sur; Teresita Lazaro of Laguna; Casimiro Ynares III of Rizal; Joey Salceda of Albay; Jesus Typoco Jr. of Camarines Norte; Aurelio Umali of Nueva Ecija; Sally Ante Lee of Sorsogon; Erico Aumentado of Bohol; Salvacion Zaldivar Perez of Antique, Ben Evardone of Eastern Samar and Miguel Dominguez of Sarangani.
Governor Garcia, who was asked if she will stick it out with Teodoro despite his poor ratings in the surveys, said that she is true to her word.
“Nakapaniid na mo nako, sulod niining unom ka tuig ko nag-alagad isip gobernador, makahatag na gani ko og pulong, sagrado nang maong pulong. Makasaad na gani ko, ako nang tumanon, and I’m not about to change just because it will be convenient, because the political season has heated up. I already gave my word,” Garcia said.
Teodoro joined Garcia during the latest Suroy-Suroy sa Sugbo that spanned the municipalities of Minglanilla going south to Argao.
A manifesto of support signed by thirty governors from Visayas was also presented to Teodoro then.
The governors, who are grouped together under the League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP), said that after carefully studying the current crop of presidential candidates in this year’s elections, they have reached the “inescapable conclusion” that Teodoro is the one candidate who “towers over the field, possessing the high intellect, courage of conviction and managerial competence to pursue the best-conceived program of government that could propel our country to new heights of economic development and growth.”
“Gilberto ‘Gibo’ Teodoro Jr. has articulated a well-thought out program and vision for the Filipino people—by far the best, and only presidential aspirant who has eschewed empty platitudes and rhetoric to provide a substantive, issue-specific program on how the country can move forward and be modernized through deep-rooted reforms and change within our democratic way of life,” their manifesto stated.
The others who signed the manifesto were Governors Josephine Sato of Occidental Mindoro; Telesforo Castillejos of Batanes; Alvaro Antonio of Cagayan; Bellaflor Angara Castillo of Aurora; Nestor Fongwan of Benguet; Floydelia Diasen of Kalinga; Maximo Dalog of Mt. Province; Enrique Garcia, Jr. of Bataan; Gov. Dakila Carlo Cua of Quirino; Eustaquio Bersamin of Abra; Jose Antonio Carrion of Marinduque; Arnan Panaligan of Oriental Mindoro; Mario Joel Reyes of Palawan; Natalio Beltran III of Romblon; Elisa Olga Kho of Masbate; Damian Mercado of Southern Leyte; Felipe Hilan Nava of Guimaras; Isidro Zayco of Negros Occidental; Jesus Jurdin Romualdo of Camiguin; Carlos Jericho Petilla of Leyte; Milagros Tan of Samar; Orlando Fua, Jr. of Siquijor; Carlito Marquez of Aklan; Ma. Valentina Plaza of Agusan del Sur; Vicente Pimentel, Jr. of Surigao del Sur; Sadikul Sahali of Tawi-Tawi; Mohammad Khalid Dimaporo of Lanao del Norte; Oscar Moreno of Misamis Oriental; Lakas-Kampi-CMD national president Miguel Dominguez of Sarangani; Rolando Yebes of Zamboanga del Norte; Jesus Sacdalan of North Cotabato; Aurora Cerilles of Zamboanga del Sur; Abdusakur Tan of Sulu; George Hofer of Zamboanga Sibugay; HJA Jum Akbar of Basilan; Mamintal Adiong of Lanao del Sur; Erlpe John Amante of Agusan del Norte; and Suharto Mangudadatu of Sultan Kudarat.
They pointed out that “Gibo, the country’s 1989 Bar topnotcher, former three-term Congressman and former Secretary of Defense, has strength of character and unquestioned integrity.”
“He [Gibo] does not only have a program of government but has courageously worked with issues of peace and development amid the rising demands of the new global economic order,” they said.
The governors also agreed that Teodoro has shown “decisive leadership in promoting social and economic justice, in building bridges of understanding in our archipelagic nation of multi-religious and multi-cultural diversity, in fighting conflict and terrorism through education and economic alleviation program, and most specially in strengthening the local government units to enhance their capacity to govern, raise income and fight mass poverty as the front-line workers of government.” –/NLQ (FREEMAN NEWS)