Gibo-Gwen tandem emerging for Lakas

By Paolo Romero (The Philippine Star)
Updated October 26, 2009 12:00 AM


MANILA, Philippines - The tandem of Lakas-Kampi standard-bearer Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro and Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia for the 2010 elections is emerging as negotiations for what the administration sees as a powerhouse team-up are nearing the homestretch, officials said yesterday.

A highly placed source privy to the talks said the negotiations to have Garcia as the Lakas-Kampi-CMD’s vice presidential candidate have reached “the crucial stage and an announcement would be made anytime soon.”

The ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD is expected to hold its national convention on Nov. 12 in Cebu where the party is set to formalize the selection of Teodoro and his running mate for the 2010 elections.

“It was Gibo (Teodoro’s nickname) who really wanted Gwen, and she was the real target,” the source said amid reports that the ruling party was wooing either Sen. Loren Legarda of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) or Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos to be the defense chief’s running mate.

“This is a powerhouse team. They are both young and well-experienced executives with good credentials and track record. Together, that counts a lot for the reconstruction and reform in the country,” the official said.

The official said Garcia, who won by a historic margin of half a million votes in the 2007 elections, would bring “geographic balance” to the campaign of Teodoro, who appears to be gaining ground in some parts of Luzon and Mindanao.

The source said talks gained ground after Teodoro met with Garcia some two weeks ago during the latter’s birthday bash in Cebu where she turned over some P20 million as her province’s donation for the ongoing rescue, relief and rehabilitation efforts of the National Disaster Coordinating Council following two typhoons that cut a wide swath of destruction through much of Luzon.

The turnover was witnessed by 45 mayors and more than 1,500 local political leaders and barangay captains. The donation is the biggest from a local government unit and Teodoro said “Cebu demonstrated its solidarity with the Filipino nation by extending its charity to our people in distress.”

“In truth, he (Teodoro) never considered Sen. Legarda,” the official said, adding the governors, who were pushing for her, did not ask her to leave NPC but suggested a coalition with Lakas-Kampi-CMD.

Presidential Adviser for Political Affairs Gabriel Claudio earlier admitted that Teodoro’s choice of running mate would be given much weight in the selection of the administration’s vice presidential candidate.

Cebu is vote-rich and during the hotly contested 2004 presidential elections, gave President Arroyo nearly a million votes that were later affirmed by the Presidential Electoral Tribunal.

The official said the League of Municipalities of the Philippines is also considering formally endorsing Teodoro.

The League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP) earlier expressed support for Teodoro’s bid to be president.

Garcia also belongs to the Lakas-Kampi-CMD.

Claudio said yesterday the endorsement of the tandem of Teodoro and Legarda and a coalition of Lakas-Kampi-CMD and NPC “was a multi-partisan initiative of governors comprising the executive committee of the LPP and it was not necessarily the position of the administration party.”

“We have not even formally discussed it. Asked for reaction (from the media), we said we recognize and continue to recognize the fine qualities of Sen. Legarda as a leader and advocate of many worthy causes,” Claudio said.

“But the fact is we already have a standard-bearer and Loren belongs to NPC. It’s up to her to assess her political prospects given these conditions. It’s no problem to us if she stays with the opposition,” he said.

He said “the more earnest talks the administration party is having in relation to Gibo’s running mate is with prominent members of the party itself, which is not wanting in excellent materials for vice president.”

He said “an overwhelming number of governors, other local executives and congressmen have pledged support for Gibo not because they are party mates but because they believe in him as a leader with firmness, integrity and substance.”

“Those local leaders are the same nationwide machinery that could support Sen. Legarda but only on the condition that she is in tandem with our standard-bearer. The dilemma is probably hers, not ours. Just the same, we wish her the best,” Claudio said.


Source: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=517637&publicationSubCategoryId=63