Gibo ratings to surge in March, predicts Palace

Saturday, 16 January 2010 00:00



Original Story: http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/top-stories/9744-gibo-ratings-to-surge-in-march-predicts-palace


FORMER Defense Secretary Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro might be trailing three other presidential hopefuls in surveys but his candidacy will surge starting in March, a Malacañang official said on Friday.

Secretary Prospero Pichay, the presidential political adviser, said that a candidate must peak on the day of the elections, “not today.”

“Guys who peak on election day will win. If they peak now, the tendency is to go down so we’re just pacing our ratings. We don’t want to peak now,” he said.

Pichay said they expect Teodoro’s rating to surge to 25 percent to 30 percent in March. Teodoro, the presidential candidate of Lakas-Kampi Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD), has had single-digit rating in most of surveys on presidential candidates.

Pichay predicted that the 25 percent to 30 percent rating of Teodoro would be boosted by the “huge administration machinery.” He pointed out that Lakas-Kampi CMD has around 95 percent party support all over the country.

“With the built-in support from his party machinery, Teodoro will surely capture the presidency,” he added. He cited the disunity among the opposition as an added advantage of the administration party.

“In 2007, they were united but now they are disunited. We have strengthened our party while they quarrel among themselves. In 50 percent of provinces, our local candidates have no opposition,” he said.

In a related development, Teodoro vowed to reduce poverty by working to sustain a globally competitive economy that will continue to grow. “Our strategy is to sustain gross domestic product at 7 percent to 8 percent within the context of globalization. To do this, we have to expand foreign trade and investments,” Teodoro said.

He added that besides improving the campaign against red tape and corruption, a long-term plan for new infrastructure to connect the country’s islands is needed for sustained growth.

He said his government would focus on putting up more physical infrastructures like roads and bridges to link islands, flyovers and underpasses to accommodate the growing population.

Teodoro said that given the protracted stand-off at the World Trade Organization, the Philippines is better off if it will operate through regionally expanding trade through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) FTA (free trade agreement).

Asean has FTAs with China, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea and India to expand trade and investments. He also said the Philippines will exploit its agreements with Japan.

Angelo S. Samonte And Jefferson Antiporda


Original Story: http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/top-stories/9744-gibo-ratings-to-surge-in-march-predicts-palace