Bong Revilla eyed as Gibo running mate

By Christina Mendez (The Philippine Star)
Updated November 04, 2009 12:00 AM


MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr. said yesterday the administration has been sending him feelers to become the running mate of Lakas-NUCD-Kampi standard-bearer Gilbert Teodoro.

Revilla told radio station dzBB that he received feelers not directly from Teodoro, who is quitting as defense chief, but from a third party
who is trying to facilitate a Teodoro-Revilla tandem for next year’s elections.

Revilla said he has not decided on the offer, pending his consultation with his father, former Sen. Ramon Revilla Sr.

“It’s not being childish or unable to decide for myself. But I would want to seek my father’s advice before making any decision,” said Revilla, who is finishing his term next year.

If he runs for vice-president and loses, he will not be able to go back to any seat in the Senate.

Revilla has been urged to run for vice-president in recent years but he has said he is not interested in seeking a higher post. That is until an offer was made from the administration to be Teodoro’s running-mate.

Reports said Revilla wanted to assess his chances first before making a major political move.

Prior to Revilla, reports had it that the administration was wooing Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos-Recto and actor Edu Manzano, who happens to be Santos’ former husband, as possible vice-presidential bets.

Sen. Loren Legarda’s name was also floated but Legarda has maintained the she will remain with the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) and that she is not ready to jump to the administration bandwagon because she cannot defend the Arroyo administration over its involvement in corruption activities.


NPC to support either Gibo or Villar

Meanwhile, the decision of Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero to abandon NPC has forced its members to support either the candidacy of Sen. Manny Villar or Defense Secretary Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro.

Isabela Rep. Giorgidi Aggabao, an NPC member, said many of their party-mates “remain loyal” to Teodoro, a former NPC stalwart and Cojuangco’s nephew before he defected to Lakas-Kampi-CMD, although a majority of NPC members prefer Villar.

The Nacionalista Party of Villar belongs to the administration coalition in the House of Representatives. Both Villar and Teodoro were former congressmen, representing Las Piñas and Tarlac, respectively.

The NPC members’ support to Villar will further strengthen his political clout, especially since reports have been circulating for quite sometime now that he was inclined to declare Sen. Loren Legarda as his running-mate.

Escudero, who surprised even his closest party-mates when he bolted the NPC last week, will not run with Legarda.

Escudero, who wanted to run for president as soon as he turned 40 last Oct. 10, belied reports that he left the NPC after business tycoon Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco – chairman emeritus and financier – refused to bankroll his campaign and instead promised to contribute P200 million only to his campaign kitty.

He told a local TV network that he has never relied on Cojuangco for money matters, adding Cojuangco did not contribute that much at all in his past political campaigns, when he ran and won for three terms as Sorsogon congressman and even when he ran for a senator in 2007.

Escudero said Cojuangco did not even offer any support when he first ran in 1998, the same year he joined the NPC.

Cojuangco and Escudero’s father, Sorsogon Rep. Salvador “Sonny” Escudero III, were both cronies of the late President Marcos. Cojuangco served as ambassador while Escudero was agriculture minister. – With Delon Porcalla


Source: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=520214&publicationSubCategoryId=63