11/12/2009
Twenty days before the deadline of the filing of certificates of candidacy, and the administration Lakas-Kampi-CMD’s standard bear-er, Gilbert “Gibo” Teo-doro, still does not have any takers for his vice presi-dential slot.Party stalwart Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla yesterday formally declined his party’s offer for him to be Teodoro’s running mate, saying he would be more effective as a senator.
Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, who was also offered the administration party’s VP slot, said he hasn’t changed his mind and stood firm on his decision not to run for the vice presidency.
Actor-TV host Edu Manzano also turned down the offer, and is expected to be sworn in as a Liberal Party member, for inclusion as an LP senatorial bet in the 2010 polls.
That leaves former Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto as Teodoro’s pick --except that Sotto belongs to the National People’s Coalition (NPC) which already has a vice presidential bet in Sen. Loren Legarda. The party’s stand is that all members will be supporting the Legarda run for the vice presidency.
Zubiri said: “I don’t see any change in my decision,” after the party gave him 24 hours to consider the proposal.
“I cannot abandon my post at this point. I still have a lot of work to do here,” he said.
Revilla, in rejecting the offer, thanked members of Lakas-Kampi-CMD for the trust given him. He asked his party mates not to consider him anymore as Teodoro’s possible runningmate.
“Actually it was my father who stopped me from running as vice president. That’s why I slowed down. He told me: ‘Son, you’re still young. I want you remain as senator,” he said.
The younger Revilla said he would heed his father’s earnest request, saying he could not turn down the appeal of his ailing father.
“I’m willing to wait,” he said.
The Party official, political adviser Secretary Gabby Claudio tried to keep the party members’ spirits up by saying that “the members of the National Executive Committee most spontaneously came out with the observation that perhaps the party should give top priority to somebody who belongs not only to the party but to the National Executive Committee itself and the leaders of the party or members of the excom coming from Mindanao, were very vocal and very passionate about the need for the party to consider somebody who would represent the interests of Mindanao.”
Zubiri currently is vice president for Mindanao position in the Lakas-Kampi CMD leadership.
Asked for the initial reaction of Zubiri upon learning that he is being groomed as Teodoro’s VP, Claudio claimed that “The reaction of Sen. Zubiri, I would consider to be privileged information. I don’t think we are at liberty to disclose his reaction and observations regarding this matter.”
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, who serves as Lakas-Kampi CMD’s interim president, claimed their party is currently being deliberate in conducting their selection processes for the remaining slots to be filled for the elections next year wherefore they could not really drop the names of those who are being considered as official contenders for next year’s national and local elections.
When pressed to elaborate on Zubiri’s sudden rise on top of the running mate shortlist and how he would fare with other vice presidential candidates
, Ermita mused: “You can be sure that we chose the proper candidate whether its Sen. Migz Zubiri or somebody else especially if it’s the senator, I’m sure he would fare very, very well. He is an incumbent senator, a person with a name, the only one from Mindanao and you can imagine if you are Mindanao, the clamor would be such that you want somebody in such a very high position and that is a positive factor going for Sen. Migz Zubiri if indeed he is the one. But you can be very sure that whoever we chose, he definitely would have a very, very good chance in tandem with Secretary Teodoro.”
Meanwhile, Claudio and Ermita proudly informed media that they will be able to have candidates for each and every position there is to be fielded in both the local and national level.
“I’ll just say that one of the important facts or realities that became very apparent, which the members of the Executive Committee are proud of, is the fact that the administration party, Lakas-Kampi CMD will be able to field candidates for all positions at the national and local level,” Claudio said.
Claudio also maintained that reported defections of some of their political leaders from other camps were not true. Defections or so-called exodus apparently occurred in other parties for the administration party’s advantage where a considerable number of political leaders from other parties -- the LP being mentioned among them -- have already joined their camp with some others bent to do the same thing.
Meanwhile, more political leaders are set to pledge support for former President Joseph Estrada and Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay for president and vice president, respectively, in the 2010 elections, it was announced yesterday by Genuine Opposition spokesman Enresto Maceda.
They will join the more than 500 political leaders, most of them incumbents belonging to the major political parties, who have pledged support to the Estrada-Binay ticket since their proclamation last October 21 in a Tondo rally.
Maceda disclosed that today, more leaders of Davao del Sur headed by Diogos City Mayor Alex “Sander” Wangkay, candidate for Governor, and Vice Governor Simplicio Latasa will take their oath as members of the Pwersa ng Masang Pililipino (PMP) in a grand rally in Digos City.
Maceda said that many more political leaders have expressed support for Erap and Binay but have requested that their names be withheld to avoid political retaliation by the administration.
“Many defectors request not to be identified in the meantime to get project funds released,” said Maceda. “We try to avoid incidents like what happened to PMP congressional candidate Gilbert Wagas of Cebu, 5th district, who was arrested by NBI agents from Manila for a 16 year old case still pending in the Supreme Court,” Maceda said.
Source: http://www.tribune.net.ph/headlines/20091112hed5.html
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