Show of force for Gibo in Cebu

CEBU CITY—In a striking show of force for Lakas-Kampi-CMDstandard-bearer Gibo Teodoro, over 250 governors, members of the Houseof Representatives plus congressional and gubernatorial bets alongwith at least 27 incumbent local elective officials and candidates inCebu alone have declared anew their full backing for the formerdefense chief till the May 10 elections.

This developed as Gibo posted back-to-back coups in two online polls in a week’s time after coming out No. 1 yesterday in the mock polls done by the business daily BusinessWorld and, earlier, in a similar survey by the major broadsheet Manila Bulletin.

In Cebu, at least 41 incumbent governors and gubernatorial candidates led by the province’s Gwendolyn Garcia met at the Marco Polo Hotel—the same venue for the previous night’s meeting where 27 local aspirants and incumbent local executives belonging to the Garcia-headed local party One Cebu have committed to campaign hard for the Lakas-Kampi-CMD presidential candidate.

The combined show of electoral strength in this city came as 168 congressional candidates, 71 of them incumbent legislators, likewise met last Monday at the Dusit Hotel in Makati City to reaffirm their unwavering support for Gibo.

Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, president of the Governors for Gibo (G4G)or Team Palabra de Honor, said the Marco Polo meeting in her vote-rich province—amid the reported defections of a few—sent anew the loud and clear signal of Gibo’s formidable local machinery support.“I do believe that as all of us here, that for as long as we hold on together, our very own individual strengths will be consolidated into one unbeatable force that will bring Gibo Teodoro to victory,” Garcia said during the meeting.

At the end of the two-hour meeting, the governors and the candidates signed a document titled “Manifesto of Reaffirmation of Support for presidential Candidate Gilbert “Gibo” C. Teodoro, Jr.” “We, the provincial governors, elected officials of the Philippines and all members of Team “Palabra de Honor, reaffirm our unwavering support to Gibo in order to secure his victory and all the candidates both local and national of the party and its allies in the forthcoming May 10 elections,” they said in the manifesto.

“We remain steadfast in our conviction that Gibo Teodoro is the most qualified among all the presidential candidates to lead the nation towards greater economic prosperity and social progress in the next six years,” they said.

“Thus, we commit to work hard for overwhelming electoral majorities for Gibo in our jurisdictions.” They added in the manifesto that, “Gibo best represents our ideal of competence in public service; intelligence in the service of thepeople, governance that is not dictated by politics, but politics dictated by good governance; integrity that is beyond question; and most importantly, humility that is inspired by the truth that we are all servants of the people.”

Gibo, who joined the governors and candidates halfway through the Marco Polo meeting, thanked the “Team Palabra de Honor” for reaffirming their full support to him.“This is a humbling experience for me, an added responsibility. So that the trust bestowed upon me by the leaders of the provinces will not be lost, I will return the favor by strengthening the LGUs [once elected],” Gibo said.

Gibo said the reaffirmation of support of the governors basically threw out the window the disinformation against him to torpedo his surging campaign.“With these governors' meeting, it once again clears the air for our people to know who have defected and who really support us,” Gibo said.

Among the incumbent governors present during the Marco Polo Hotel meeting were Garcia, Migs Dominguez (Sarangani), Ben Evardone (EasternSamar), Salvacion Zaldivar Perez (Antique), Eustaquio Bersamin (Abra),Nestor Fongwan (Benguet), Floydelia Diasin (Kalinga Apayao), MaximoDalog (Mt. province), Deogracias Victor Savellano (Ilocos Sur), AuroraBella Flor Castillo (Aurora), Enrique Garcia (Bataan), Jose AntonioCarreon (Marinduque), Sally Ante Lee (Sorsogon), Lito Marquez (Aklan),Felipe Hilan Nava (Guimaras), Isidro Zayco (Negros Occidental),Orlando Fua, Jr. (Siquijor), Mila Tan (Samar), Damian Mercado(Southern Leyte), Rolando Yebes (Zamboanga del Norte) and AuroraCerilles (Zamboanga del Sur).

Also there to express anew their full support for Gibo were governors Jurdin Jesus Romualdo (Camiguin), Oscar Moreno (Misamis Oriental),Jesus Sacdalan (North Cotabato), Erlpe John Amante (Agusan del Norte),Vicente Pimentel (Surigao del Sur), Jum Akbar (Basilan), MamintalAdiong, Jr. (Lanao del Sur), Erico Aumentado (Bohol) and MohammadKhalid Dimaporo (Lanao del Norte).

The other Lakas-Kampi-CMD gubernatorial candidates present in the meeting were House Majority Leader Arthur Defensor (Iloilo), MarcelinoAganon (Tarlac), Dennis Lazaro (Laguna), Edgar Chatto (Bohol), CharlieChong (Biliran), Ann Hofer (Zamboanga Sibugay), Herminia Ramiro(Misamis Occidental), Emmylou Talino-Mendoza (North Cotabato), ArthurPingoy (South Cotabato), Adolph Edward Plaza (Agusan del Sur), SolMatugas (Surigao del Norte) and Esmail Mangudadatu.

Dominguez, who is G4G vice president, said that at least three other Mindanao governors are also supportive of Gibo’s presidential bid but were not at the meeting due to previous commitments.

Aurora Gov. Bellaflor Angara Castillo vowed to make Gibo the winner inher province. “Gibo is not only very capable and intelligent, he’salso a sincere person,” she said.

Aklan Gov. Lito Marquez said they’ll work hard to bring at least 130,000 votes to Gibo.

Laguna gubernatorial bet Dennis Lazaro, son of outgoing governor Ning-Ning Lazaro, said that they’ll work hard to deliver at least 200,000 votes to the former defense secretary. “We’ll fight for Giboin Laguna,” he said.

Eastern Samar Gov. Ben Evardone said that Gibo possesses superior qualities over the other presidential candidates. “He is the best person to lead our country to greater heights,” he said.“This striking show of force by national and local elective officials along with congressional and mayoralty bets not only here in Cebu but all over the country is the most resounding proof yet that reports and speculations about mass defections supposedly buffeting the Gibo camp only exist in the minds of black propaganda experts who are desperately trying to sabotage Gibo’s surging candidacy for the benefit of their respective presidential wannabes,” said former press secretary Mike Toledo, who is now Gibo’s spokesman and director of the G1BO 2010 Media Bureau.

This declaration of all-out support in Cebu came a day after some 130Lakas-Kampi-CMD legislators across the country gathered at the Dusit Hotel Nikko in Makati City where they committed to continue supporting the former defense secretary in his journey to Malacañang.

Gibo has emerged No. 1 in yet another online survey barely three weeksto go before the May 10 balloting.Based on BusinessWorld’s poll of its online readers’ preference forthe next president of the Philippines, as of April 19, 2010, Gibopicked up 26.50 percent of the 102,057 votes polled; followed byformer president and Pwersa ng Masa bet, Joseph Estrada (25.77percent); with Nacionalista Party candidate, Sen. Manuel Villar, at third place (19.07 percent); and Liberal Party stalwart, Sen. BenignoAquino III, hanging on at fourth place (18.62 percent).

It was Gibo's third in a week's time to either come out No. 1 or No.2,having topped the online polls done by the major news daily Manila Bulletin and coming in second in the separate survey done by Dutch finance giant ING Bank.

In response to the question of “Who will you vote as the next Philippine President in the May 10 elections next month?” which was posted on Bulletin’s mb.com.ph website, 27,521 or 47% chose Gibo. Aquino settled for a far second, with 15,499 or 27% of the votes cast, followed in third place by former Estrada with 5,543 or 10% ofthe votes.

Just recently, in it’s latest tracking poll, the Cebu-based Campaigns & Image Group (CIG) said next month’s presidential balloting will likely be a toss-up among the three aforementioned candidates, with the eventual winner being the one who can secure a firm headlock on the vote-rich 18-35 age category.

Gibo remained a strong favorite of voters across the 18-28 and 29-39 year-old age brackets, with a 26% Presidential Preference Rating (PPR)among young voters that comprise almost half of the electorate in this year’s May 10 polls, according to the CIG tracking poll.

Gibo came out No. 2, next to Villar, in that tracking poll of CIG.In similar mock elections conducted by broadcast media leader RadioMindanao Network (RMN) through the month of March, Gibo was first place in one city and landed either in the No.2 or No. 3 positions in other parts of Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.-30-