GIBO WORKING HARDER TO REACH THE MASSES
DAVAO CITY, MARCH 13, 2010 (STAR) By Edith Regalado – Former defense secretary and Lakas-Kampi-CMD standard-bearer Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. yesterday said he would campaign harder so that his platform of government and advocacies would reach the masses.“I really have to concentrate on the local awareness aspect,” said Teodoro during a recent visit here where residents mobbed him.
Teodoro said that hopefully, he could come up with new political advertising materials to connect his message more to the masses.
“I have already chosen a storyboard and we will do the production work soon,” he said.
Teodoro said his strength lies on the strong machinery of the ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD party that has more than 70 percent of the local government officials nationwide.
Teodoro said he is confident in the Lakas-Kampi-CMD machinery, which is fielding candidates for almost all local positions across the country.
He said funding woes have also affected the Lakas-Kampi-CMD, adding though that they are working on a mechanism to address the problem. – With Jaime Laude
Gibo: I won't stop till I'm No. 1 By Jaime Laude (The Philippine Star) Updated March 13, 2010 12:00 AM
MANILA, Philippines - Though still trailing in the surveys, administration presidential candidate Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro yesterday vowed to work harder and attain the top spot in the coming weeks ahead of Election Day.
“I’ll not stop till I’m number one,” Teodoro declared before the 2010 National Convention of the Chamber of Thrift Banks (CTB).
Teodoro made the remark in reply to the latest surveys showing his significant gains in the mostly four-cornered presidential fight.
He said the survey results do not necessarily mean the leading candidate is already the winner.
Teodoro urged voters to focus on the qualifications and capability of the candidate, instead of popularity.
He said local support would definitely spell the difference on Election Day and overturn the results of the surveys.
Teodoro is looking forward to campaigning at the grassroots level when the local campaign period kicks off on March 26.
He said his chances are greater once the campaign period for local candidates kicks off to start the local machinery of the administration party Lakas-Kampi-CMD that would translate to 25 percent more votes.
Teodoro bolted from the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) founded by his uncle Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. and joined Lakas-Kampi-CMD where he was made standard-bearer of the administration.
Teodoro stressed nobody owns him and he is his own man.
Teodoro made the response to criticisms made by his cousin Lisa Cojuangco Cruz.
Cruz had claimed her father felt insulted by Teodoro when he left NPC.
Cruz added her mother Gretchen also became angry and was forced to issue a statement that they would support any candidate except Teodoro.
Teodoro, on the other hand, emphasized that issues involving him and his uncle are a family matter.
“That has nothing to do with the Filipino people. It is beyond me already. What we are talking and dealing here now is the country and not the feelings of a particular individual or families,” Teodoro said.
Expecting to hear more from his cousin and other critics, Teodoro said he is not going down to that level. He likened the issue to his association with President Arroyo.
Teodoro said he would just focus on winning more votes during the campaign.
If some people think that they owned him and the country, they are mistaken because he is his own man and no family owns the Philippines, Teodoro said.
“The issues here are politics, not family matters,” he stressed.
As far as he is concerned, Teodoro said, he has already given his whole heart to the country, not to a single individual or family. — With Christina Mendez, Jose Rodel Clapano
Fernando: Nobody attempted to bribe me yet By Mike Frialde (The Philippine Star) Updated March 12, 2010 12:00 AM
MANILA, Philippines - Unlike his running mate, Sen. Richard Gordon, Bagumbayan vice presidential bet and former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Bayani Fernando is proud that no one has yet attempted to bribe him into withdrawing from the race.
“Ako wala. Di pa ako binibigyan ng sakit ng ulo. I am proud na walang nag-offer sa akin,” he told reporters in Marikina City when asked if there had been an attempt to bribe him into withdrawing from the race.
Earlier, Gordon revealed that an emissary allegedly sent by his rival, Nacionalista Party bet Manuel Villar had offered to reimburse all his campaign expenditures and even be given a Cabinet seat in exchange for his withdrawal from the race.
Gordon has yet to reveal the identity of the emissary saying that he could do that should he and Villar be subjected to a lie detector test.
Senator Jamby Madrigal who is also seeking the presidency has revealed that she, too, was offered a whopping P1 billion allegedly by Villar to back-off from the race.
Villar has denied allegations that he offered bribes to his rivals in exchange for their withdrawal in the race.
Even Sen. Loren Legarda who is seeking the vice presidential seat under the Nacionalista Party is also accusing her rival, Sen. Mar Roxas of the Liberal Party of allegedly “making a deal” to make her withdraw her bid.
The Liberal Party denied Legarda’s allegation.
Despite lagging in the surveys, Fernando, like his running mate, Gordon, is also confident of winning.
“A vice president should be able to develop and promote culture. My experience in engineering makes me qualified. I think I am successful enough. I have planted the seed and I am just waiting for it to germinate. I have started something. Pag ako ay nanalo, buo na ang thesis ko,” he said.
Noynoy: All accords with MILF must be reviewed By Roel Pareño (The Philippine Star) Updated March 12, 2010 12:00 AM
ZAMBOANGA CITY , Philippines – Liberal Party (LP) standard-bearer Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III said all draft and interim agreements between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) must be reviewed before the two sides return to the negotiating table.
Aquino told newsmen during his campaign sortie here on Wednesday that all agreements entered into by the two peace panels must be carefully scrutinized to ensure that the Constitution is not violated.
The government and MILF peace panels believe that they could no longer reach any agreement during the remaining months of the Arroyo administration.
Both panels are eyeing an interim agreement that will serve as basis for the peace negotiations to continue and for all agreements to be carried out under the next administration.
However, Aquino said the LP, which objected to the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain whose signing was aborted after the Supreme Court found it unconstitutional, believes that the negotiations should be inclusive and transparent.
“Therefore, we will advance a peace dialogue with all the stakeholders, hopefully simultaneously. Therefore, it will be inclusive and transparent and that will be the reason in a way we can tell everybody to agree on a common goal if we can induce trust by making the whole process transparent,” Aquino said.
The LP got its biggest crowd here Wednesday night among its rallies across the country as tens of thousands of local folk turned out even during the motorcade earlier in the day.
Incidentally, it was the first time that Aquino’s sister, actress and television host, Kris Aquino-Yap, joined a campaign sortie along with her husband, basketball star James Yap.
Local organizers said they were able to distribute 80,000 tickets to those who wanted to go to the 57,500-square meter Joaquin F. Enriquez Memorial Complex for the LP rally where the names of Aquino and his running mate, Sen. Manuel Roxas III, were installed in giant letters to welcome them.
Aquino and Kris both acknowledged the huge turnout. Kris, whose every statement was met with loud cheers, said they could not help but be emotional because the last time they saw such a huge crowd was during the wake and funeral of their mother, former President Corazon Aquino, in August last year.
“Our only expectation was that there would be a crowd (but) not this big. By 2 p.m. we were told the (venue) was already filled with people. Of course, some left and went home already (because the rally started past 7 p.m.). We also never expected that the crowd along the road (would also be very thrilled),” Aquino said.
“It’s really overwhelming. The (love shown to us) by Zamboanga was intense. And this happens in (various) degrees elsewhere in the country,” he added. – With Aurea Calica
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2010 by
PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved