By BEN R. ROSARIO April 13, 2010, 6:14pm
Original Story: http://mb.com.ph/articles/252521/nograles-stays-with-lakas
“Shape up or ship out.”
This is the message Speaker Prospero Nograles wants to deliver to Lakas-Kampi-CMD presidential bet Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro as he blamed him for failing to stop the exodus of senior party members to opposition camps.
Nograles, who confirmed Monday that he is planning to resign from the party, had a change of heart Tuesday and instead dared Teodoro to take immediate steps to unite the biggest political group in the country and at the same time institute campaign reforms that would guarantee him and his team of national candidates victory in the May 10 elections.
“Enough is enough. Gibo must shape up – address the grievances of Lakas members, recover their confidence, motivate the party – or he ships out of the party,” said Nograles.
In response, Teodoro told Nograles: Just pack your bags and leave.
“Huwag naman sanang gamitin ang partido na rason sa matagal na inisip nang may planong mag-defect,” Teodoro told reporters when asked to react to Nograles’ statement blaming him for the many party woes. (“Those who have long planned to defect should not use the party as an excuse for their action.”) Nograles, who used to be party president, also griped about Teodoro’s resignation as chairman two weeks ago.
“Gibo abandoned the party chairmanship at the most crucial hour – the start of the local campaign. When he was being looked up to as the leader who would marshal Lakas candidates in the local level – the biggest number in the country – Gibo chose to resign as chairman together with other top leaders,” he said.
The House leader added: “Even as a senior officer of the party, I hardly know what's happening because they make decisions without the courtesy of even briefing us.”
Nograles said he had received feedbacks from “congressmen, governors and mayors who have aired grievances that the senior members of the party have failed to address.”
He also argued that Teodoro and his campaign team are apparently mismanaging the campaign operations.
“Gibo has wrong sense of priorities. He is spending time in smaller provinces like Sarangani and took for granted provinces that are vote-rich such as Ilocos Sur, Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental or Comval (Compostela Valley) Province,” he said.
Nograles advised Teodoro to re-group the party and tap its “underutilized potential as the country’s biggest political party.”
Otherwise, disgruntled party members “might decide to form a faction and adopt another presidential candidate.”
“Worse, these disgruntled Lakas members could force an assembly and vote as a party to adopt another presidential candidate,” he said.
Nograles declared: “We will not resign from Lakas. I was president of Lakas before the merger. This is the party that made the 14th Congress a productive institution that it is today which has produced key legislations to insulate the Republic from the global financial turmoil. This is the party that has a political command cutting across the country through its governors, mayors, provincial board members and councilors. The consensus is that not one man could wreck Lakas.”
Among the senior LKC members who have joined the opposition were Davao del Norte Gov. Rodolfo del Rosario and Senior Assistant Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II who both joined Liberal Party.
The Nacionalista Party was favored with the defection of five governors who have previously declared support for Teodoro.
They are Governors Jose Zubiri of Bukidnon, Douglas CAgas of Davao del Sur; Arthur Uy of Compostela Valley, Corazon Malanyaon of Davao Oriental and former Gov. Luis “Chavit” Singson of Ilocos Sur.
A ranking LKC official who requested anonymity said the defectors have their own personal reasons for leaving the administration party despite the support given to them by President Arroyo.
Del Rosario had a falling out with former Rep. Antonio Floirendo Jr. who is reportedly backing Teodoro while Gonzales is a close personal friend of Senators Benigno Aquino III and Manuel Roxas II.
Original Story: http://mb.com.ph/articles/252521/nograles-stays-with-lakas
No comments:
Post a Comment