Teodoro to take oath as member of Lakas

MANILA, Philippines - Defense Secretary Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro will take his oath today as member of the ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD party, a process which officials said signals the start of his quest to become the administration party’s standard-bearer in the 2010 elections.

In statements released by the ruling party, League of Provinces of the Philippines president and Misamis Occidental Gov. Leo Ocampos and Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri said more than 200 party faithful, including the party’s top brass, are expected at the Lakas-Kampi headquarters along EDSA to witness the oath-taking ceremony.

The officials said no other newcomer to Lakas-Kampi has generated so much excitement – and raised higher expectations – about the future of the party and the new direction for the country’s politics as Teodoro has done.

“The party sees the country’s youth in him – all the idealism, audacity and can-do attitude needed to spark the country to a new plateau of economic growth and stability,” Zubiri said. “He is the face of new politics that can confidently take over the country’s leadership.”

After his oath-taking, Teodoro has to win the Lakas-Kampi presidential nomination – a tall order if the race were to develop as a two-man contest between him and Vice President Noli de Castro, another party outsider bidding to join the ruling powerhouse.

Zubiri said Teodoro’s appeal to the party faithful, however, is universal – he is welcomed heartily by local officials, municipal and city mayors, governors and congressmen and the senior party leadership.

These are attributes the young generation of party faithful is convinced will carry Lakas-Kampi to victory in the 2010 elections, Zubiri added.

Speaker Prospero Nograles also said yesterday that low ratings notwithstanding, Teodoro will have the advantage over other presidential aspirants once he is sworn in as a member of the powerhouse Lakas-Kampi-CMD party.

“I would say, since Gilbert will formally join the Lakas-Kampi-CMD, he is now in the inner circle,” he told reporters in the weekly Usaping Balita news forum at Serye restaurant in Quezon City. According to the Speaker, Teodoro – a former three-term congressman from Tarlac – will have an “inside track” once he submits himself to the selection process, which could not be said of De Castro, who remains mum on his presidential ambitions.

“We will go to the selection process, and have massive consultation with our (local) leaders,” Nograles explained, adding that whoever will be their standard-bearer will enjoy the vast political machinery the administration has.

He and House Majority Leader Arthur Defensor were one in saying, however, that this doesn’t necessarily mean Teodoro will be the anointed one of President Arroyo. A smiling Defensor joked he still has Metro Manila Development Authority chairman Bayani Fernando to contend with.

The Speaker acknowledged that winnability, which, in this early stage Teodoro does not have, “is a big factor, but that is not an assurance (of victory).

“We are not alarmed because our party is the most organized. They have a bigger problem than we have,” he said.

Still unaffected

Teodoro, meantime, remained unfazed by his poor ratings in the surveys and would instead push through his bid to secure the ruling party’s nomination as its official candidate in the 2010 elections.

Meeting his schoolmates at the forum dubbed “Leading by X-ample: The Vision of Sec. Gilbert Teodoro” at the Xavier School in Greenhills, San Juan Wednesday night, Teodoro presented his vision for the country and assured his fellow alumni that he would do better in the surveys after he makes official his presidential bid.

“After I take my oath as member of Lakas, then the directions of my actions would be clearer,” he said, adding that his strategies for propelling his acceptability forward would be more defined after swearing in today as official member of the ruling party.

Teodoro, along with MMDA chair Fernando, fared poorly in the recent survey of the Social Weather Stations.

Speaking before a crowd of Xavier School alumni, Teodoro, who graduated in 1981, bared his economic, political and security platforms if he does run for the country’s highest elective post.

Among the things that he would strongly push for when he decides to run for president would be the amendment to the Constitution, for it to be able to cater to the present economic and political needs of the country.

Erap supporter

Meantime, after saying that President Arroyo could be the best Philippine president ever, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile gave his full support for ex-President Joseph Estrada if he decides to run for president next year.

“If you are running for president, it’s good if you slowly climb up (in the surveys) because you cannot continue going up and up and up. The pull of gravity will be too strong to bring you down. So that’s fine with Erap,” he said. “But I will tell you, if Erap will not be disqualified and he will be allowed to run, I think he will give a run for the money of the others. I have seen it in the field.”

Enrile, a member of Estrada’s Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP), made the assessment in reaction to Estrada’s leap in the SWS survey where he landed second to Sen. Manuel Villar.

“Erap shall run,” Enrile said, adding that he was a witness to Estrada’s popularity in their joint provincial sorties in various areas of the country, especially in Mindanao.

While he concedes that the massive show of “sincere admiration” for Estrada may not necessarily translate into votes in next year’s elections, Enrile said potential opponents should not underestimate the former president’s organized political setup.

Enrile noted, however, that Estrada’s renewed attempt for the presidency would divide votes for the opposition.

“If he divides the opposition votes, you will have a possible repeat of the 1992 elections,” he said.

Enrile gave his full support for Estrada even as he declared Mrs. Arroyo as the best president ever based on her achievements.

“Achievement-wise, I think she did a lot of things for the country. You cannot deny that. In terms of roads, modern airport, managing the economy,” the Senate President said.

“She managed to set up a close link among the islands throughout the archipelago through her nautical project. As far as energy is concerned, as a president, nobody could match her,” Enrile said.

Enrile lamented, however, that Arroyo’s performance was marred with controversies, especially involving election cheating and corruption. 

Pray harder

Enrile advised presidential hopefuls yesterday to “pray harder” to be able to address and solve the problems of the country once President Arroyo steps down next year.

Enrile said corruption should be curbed.

“But that is not the end of the matter. Yeah, you can curb corruption but will the country move forward?” he said at the weekly Kapihan sa Senado.

Enrile advised presidential wannabes to brace for more problems besetting the country’s economy once Mrs. Arroyo steps down.

“There are several of them who can handle the country. But I will tell you this. Those who are aspiring to be president should pray very, very hard. Perhaps, Father or Gov. Panlilio is a prayerful person. Why? Because they will be faced with greater problems than the incumbent president,” Enrile said, referring to Pampanga Gov. Ed Panlilio who is also eyeing the presidency.

Enrile believes that elections will push through next year, contrary to reports that Mrs. Arroyo and her allies are trying to find ways to prolong her stay in power beyond 2010.

Meantime, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday advised voters to look beyond a candidate’s good public speaking ability.

Amid numerous staging of public debates among aspirants in the coming 2010 elections, Comelec Chairman Jose Melo said a good leader may not necessarily be a good speaker.

“I understand that there are people who possess good qualities of a leader but may not be good at public speaking. They may not be fast thinkers on their feet, but they are good administrators,” Melo pointed out.

The Comelec chief then expressed his disappointment over the current formats being adopted in public fora for politicians who already hinted at their intention to run in next year’s presidential elections.

Melo said a real debate should veer away from the common queries on the candidates’ proposed programs.

“It should be a real debate, choose issues that will surprise the candidates. Ask them questions other than ‘what are your priorities?’ because they will be saying the same thing during the campaign,” Melo explained. – With James Mananghaya, Roberto Dejon, Christina Mendez, Delon Porcalla, Mayen Jaymalin