Katherine Evangelista
INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines – Presidential aspirant and outgoing defense chief Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro, Jr. on Monday said that he will be banking on his party’s resources to fund his campaign.“That will be a party matter. It’s not a personal matter. If I spend my own money for this forget it,” Teodoro said when asked if he has enough funds to support his upcoming campaign.
The statement was issued in a chance interview after the official launching of the DND’s Citizen’s Charter created to reduce bureaucracy and red tape in the institution, held at the Department of National Defense building in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
Teodoro has been endorsed as the administration-backed Lakas-Kampi CMD party’s “preferred” presidential candidate.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Reynaldo Puno, initially endorsed as the party’s preferred vice-president to team up with Teodoro has withdrew his intention of running for the second highest seat in Philippine Government.
When asked if Teodoro has found a suitable replacement for Puno, the defense chief said that he has not had time to focus on political matters.
“Physically impossible, I have no time whatsoever,” Teodoro told reporters.
He also denied that he has selected Cebu Governor and Lakas-Kampi member Gwen Garcia as his running-mate.
“Wala pang katutuhanan sa personal na napili o what not kasi pinaubaya ko pa sa partido yan e, hindi ko pa napapagpagtuunan ng personal na pansin yan ano so maybe in the few days makakasettle down na rin ako sa pagiisip tungkol dyan (It’s not true I have a personal pick but I have given the party to do so. Maybe in the coming days I’ll be able to settle and make my pick),” Teodoro said.
Teodoro admitted that he recently went to Cebu, but said no talks on the available vice-presidential candidate were discussed during his meeting with Garcia.
He added that he has not talked to Garcia or any other possible vice-presidential candidates adding that until now he has left all political matters regarding the upcoming elections to the Lakas-Kampi party.
Other names of possible vice-presidential candidates for the Lakas-Kampi party which have been floated in the media are businessman Manny Pangilinan, Senators Bong Revilla, Loren Legarda and Lito Lapid and Optical Media Board chief Edu Manzano.
When asked what qualities he is looking for in his possible running-mate, Teodoro said that he is looking for their party’s consensus.
“Ang hanap ko consensus, kung sino talaga ang gusto ng aming partido. Kasi lahat naman ng mga pangalan na lumalabas qualified naman e, at saka ita-tailor mo sa expertise nung mapipili kung ano role ang gagampanan nya sa isang administrasyon (I’m looking for consensus with who the party wants. All of the names that came out are qualified and we also tailor the persons’ expertise with the role they will have in the administration),” Teodoro said.
When asked if he sees the opposition’s disunity to be in his favor, the defense chief said that it is still “too early” to say anything definitive regarding the political playground.
“Hindi mo rin masasabi, mahirap talaga timplahin e ang pulitika ngayon, napakaaga pa, hindi mo alam kung anong magiging, hatihati, pwedeng magsama in the future (You can’t say. It’s hard to get a feel of the political situation now. It’s too earl and you don’t know if there will be factions or there will be unity in the future),” Teodoro said.
Teodoro said that coalition building is a norm in multi-party system governments.
During the same interview, the defense chief said that he will be stepping down from office sometime “late second week or early third week” of November.
Source: http://politics.inquirer.net/view.php?db=1&article=20091026-232382
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