Nobody’s puppet

by Joyce Pangco Pañares




Original Story: http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/insideNation.htm?f=2010/january/9/nation2.isx&d=2010/january/9


The ruling party’s standard-bearer Gilberto Teodoro Jr. says he is his own man and not someone else’s puppet, rejecting an opposition claim that he is President Arroyo’s lackey. “If I am a puppet then I would not bother to run for president, as being a puppet is certainly much easier than being a president,” Teodoro said.

The 1989 Bar topnotcher and Harvard-trained lawyer acknowledged that like most Filipinos, he values the concept of utang na loob or gratitude but said it should not be observed to the point of enslaving the beholden.

Teodoro served as Defense secretary and chairman of the National Disaster Coordinating Council under President Gloria Arroyo before resigning to focus on his campaign as presidential candidate of the Lakas-Kampi CMD.

His critics say his association with the administration was a negative factor, but this has not stopped Teodoro from making headway in recent pre-election surveys.

Teodoro topped the online survey in the social networking site Facebook.

He also placed second in the survey done by the Makati Business Club and his rating climbed to 5 percent from 3 percent in December in the latest poll commissioned by Standard Today.

Teodoro stressed that becoming president of the country carries with it major responsibilities and tasks that require the chief executive to exercise independent judgment and not be beholden to anyone.

A senior member of the Lakas-Kampi CMD, Rep. Neptali Gonzales II said if the presidential campaign would be decided by sheer leadership ability and intellect alone, Teodoro would be a sure winner in the elections.

“Teodoro has the integrity, leadership and intellectual rigor to launch the country into a new glorious period of reforms,” Gonzales said.


Original Story: http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/insideNation.htm?f=2010/january/9/nation2.isx&d=2010/january/9