What are the chances of Teodoro winning?
MANILA - The Philippines' former defence chief, Gilberto "Gibo" Teodoro Jr, remains confident of catching up and even overtaking the frontrunners in the race for the presidency in May, banking on the administration's vast network and resources.
Here are some questions and answers on Teodoro and his prospects:
HOW LIKELY IS TEODORO TO WIN?
Difficult to say. Teodoro's rating remain poor, with the latest opinion surveys last month placing him a distant fourth in the field of 10 presidential candidates. He has a rating of 5% against 45% for the frontrunner Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, his cousin. But analysts say it is too early to establish a trend 4 months away from the actual casting of ballots.
Some have said the presidential elections on May 10 could now be narrowed down to the top 4 candidates on the basis of their grassroots network, logistics and financial resources as well as immense popularity.
They also believe Teodoro's low popularity could be offset by the support of the administration political party coalition's solid machinery. The party has fielded the most number of candidates for local posts, covering around 70% of all open positions. This means there will be more politicians supporting his candidacy around the country compared with his rivals.
Teodoro has been slowly gaining support from universities and professional and business circles as more Filipinos see and hear him speak in public forums. Teodoro has projected himself as an articulate and intelligent speaker and better prepared to lead the country.
Unlike his rivals, Teodoro also has a solid base within the security sector, particularly among soldiers and police officers, due to his stint as defence secretary from August 2007 until November 2009.
Although Teodoro has the backing of the country's largest political coalition party, analysts fear the administration's machinery might crumble due to defections by partymates to the camp of more popular candidates, such as Aquino and Senator Manuel Villar, both in the political opposition and the two frontrunners in surveys.
Teodoro's challenge will be how to boost his own popularity rating, prevent further defections to his rivals camps and keep a tight administration ship until the elections in May.
In the Philippines, a popular candidate with deep pockets and backed by a political network that extends to the grassroots level has the biggest chance to win any election.
WHAT ARE HIS LIKELY ECONOMIC POLICIES?
Teodoro is expected to continue the fiscal management policies of his political patron, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. On Wednesday, he said he would keep current consumption tax rates and delay by a year to 2014 a goal of balancing the budget.
He would likely keep most of the current administration's economic team to assure the markets of continuity, consistency and predictability of his government's market-friendly policies.
Teodoro is open to amendments in the constitution to repeal some of the strongly nationalist economic provisions and enhance the country's global competitiveness by attracting more foreign and domestic investors in property, stocks and financial sector.
Like other presidential candidates, Teodoro also promised to plug tax leaks, improve revenue collections, strengthen sciences, mathematics and language proficiency in schools and focus on rule of law and corruption issues.
He had stopped a $3 million helicopter deal when he was defence secretary due to allegations of bribery and a rigged bidding process.
WHAT WILL BE HIS POLITICAL PLATFORM?
Teodoro's huge Lakas-Kampi-CMD coalition party is widely seen as more conservative than the much smaller and fragmented opposition groups offering populist policies to generate public support.
An air force colonel in the reserve forces who has attended the military's national defence college, Teodoro has been pushing for bigger investments in the security services to end more than 40 years of twin insurgencies from Maoist-led guerrillas and Muslim separatists that has stunted growth outside Manila.
Teodoro would likely adopt Arroyo's policies on controversial population programmes, opposing a pending legislative bill on reproductive health to gain the support of the influential Roman Catholic bishops.
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Ratings, Rantings
I would prefer Galing at Talino with program specifics to "hindi ako magnanakaw" but has no competence to speak of. A spotless record due to inactivity/non-accomplishment is not exactly reason enough to aspire for the presidency. A man with a plan and a track record should be judged on his ability to execute as against a man with no plan, no track record, and only a coat of mirrors to reflect his pedigree. Likewise, origins in poverty may sound like a good message but amassing wealth in later life using the influence of public office negates it all. And, for the love of God, why are we even considering a convicted plunderer again?
Can we move beyond mere ratings of the moment? Otherwise let's just call off the elections and use "random" sampling to choose our leaders.
Rumor Doesn't Has It, I Believe
Rumors roaming around in the streets of every shants in Metro Manila, in every elegant couches of every business tycoon, in every mouth of sourgrapers, and in every detractors of my presidential bet Gilbert Teodoro Jr.
I'm sure you know what was the rumor all about.
And I strongly disagree with it.
Almost all people believed that Gibo will be the instrument of Mrs. Arroyo to perform her plans very well in the political system of our country along with her son and cousins in the arena of politics. With my strong will, I know that Gibo is wise enough not to become a catalyst of Mrs. Arroyo's selfishness in this business. I belived in him as like other supporters who believed in him. With his tag line "Tapang at Talino", voters are bright enough to choose who will lead our country, who will straighten curved paths this country has been struggling so many years ago, who will show what a true leader could've been, who will uplift our land on the pit, who will not plunder, who will not corrupt, who will not make broken promises. Not like other administration who just waste their opportunity to enrich and use what this country have.
Rumors will not stop to escape in the mouths of those sourgrapers not until Gibo won the votes of many Filipinos. Otherwise, rumors will stop when Gibo proved what his plans are, and when those words Gibo promised become real ones.
I support him along with my fellows praying for the betterment of this nation.
Gibo at 5% to 7%
sayang talaga si gibo. mga 5% to 7% of votes cast ang malamang makuha niya and maybe a best-case scenario of 10% pero hanggang doon lang. of the 50 million registered voters, baka 40 to 45 million ang turnout. it is really gibo's administration and arroyo backing that keeps many voters from choosing him. at saka, hilaw pa siya. if he remains viable, he can run again, but if arroyo does not manage to succeed at charter change as the next speaker of the house. villar has the upper hand against noynoy kasi tamad at walang pakialam sa pagboto ang karamihan sa upper middle class at rich (combined 20% of the population). masipag bumoto ang CDE at karamihan niyon ay para kay villar. pampagulo nang konti si erap. erap's run actually helps noynoy because erap splits the masa vote. without erap in the race, lamang talaga sana si villar. pero ang mas malaking problema ni noynoy ay kung paano pabotohin ang mga may-kaya na A-B.
Walang Pag-asa
Talagang walang kapa-kapag-asa si Gibo na manalo. Ang mabuti pa sumurender na lang siya at magpahinog. Ang magtago sa saya ni BUWAYANG GLORIA ay segurado ang katalunan. Kaya nga ang panawagan sa mga KAPAMPANGAN huwag iboto ang GANID na si GLORIA.
GIBO WOW!!
Yeah! Everyone knows who is he but Gibo? So, can anyone of you assure that he is not a corrupt Politician? Did you know that Gibo is the one who among those Arroyo Cabinet members who convinced Mr. Ishmael Mangudadato not to run as Governors for Maguindanao because he is afraid of what is happening to him because as of what they knows this Ampatuans clan were violent? Oh my God how can be a real brave man can say this? Where is the principle of a true leader who afraid among that powerful clan that lived by billions of Government money, control the people in a poorest region in the island of Mindanao? Can anyone of you say that Gibo is not aware of what is happening in Maguindanao regarding private armies and the guns compiscated from Ampatuans? Can anyone of you assured that he is serious to the solutions of Mindanao? Don’t be stupid men everybody knows that he is in the shadow of GMA, so simple by it means? People can take what Glorias did this country is people can do the same thing as her?
Remember that Birds have the same feather flocks together? This nation is in need a healing process and we all knows that in six years of presidency no one is like Superman can do all things possible together right? But what we need now is to be real? To be serious to stop corruptions that ran in this country and that is not in his Ideal.
Galing at Talino is no longer an assurance of a good president
Gibo will not win simply because he is serving a person who has a low popularity rating because of the left and right controversies his boss is involved in - proven or not.
Galing at Talino is no longer an advantage on being a president. GMA has Galing at Talino no doubt about that. But she used it for personal gain. Gibo's networth increased during his first year as Secretary of National Defense. Why?
He is unapproachable due to his squad-sized bodyguards. The same with his wife who is always clad with a minimum of 2 vehicles backing them up. Parang takot sila sa tao.
How can someone vote a person who haven't reached the top post yet but already unreacheable.
Galing at Dangal ang kailangan.
Gibo will lose because of GMA
Gibo will not win simply because he is serving a person who has a low popularity rating because of the left and right controversies his boss is involved in - proven or not.
Galing at Talino is no longer an advantage on being a president. GMA has Galing at Talino no doubt about that. But she used it for personal gain. Gibo's networth increased during his first year as Secretary of National Defense. Why?
He is unapproachable due to his squad-sized bodyguards. The same with his wife who is always clad with a minimum of 2 vehicles backing them up. Parang takot sila sa tao.
How can someone vote a person who haven't reached the top post yet but already unreacheable.
Gibo's stand on reproductive health
Gibo's stand on reproductive health is always being misunderstood. He is in favor of population management. He just wants some punitive provisions in the RH bill reviewed. And he wants to have a program where everyone's religious views are respected, both pros and antis, so population management can move. This is what he said on his website www.gibo.ph:
Teodoro said that he favored population control but did not want religious restrictions legislated. He said, Filipinos should only have big families as long as they could afford to provide for their basic needs.
"Population management is necessary thing. However the diverseness and the acrimony between pro and con will result in nothing happening. So once and for all, we must have an honest to goodness dialogue. The RH bill minus certain punitive provisions maybe a good law. I really believe though, I’ve put it clear that abortion is out the window. I don’t support abortion whatsoever. However the incidence of a mother in an evacuation center with 10 children, 9 children, who’s gonna take care of these people? We have to give information to people and give them the resources to apply what they believe in. I may not believe in contraception. You may not believe in contraception. But other people do. And we have to give them the freedom to choose. What they want to do with themselves in an informed manner. This is not to say that religious organizations do not have a role. They have a very powerful and strong role. But not through the state. Not through the law. But in our consciences, in our souls, and in the pulpit."
Q: Anong stand, stand mo sa population issue?
A: For reproductive health ako, ngunit tanggalin natin ang ibang punitive provisions. Medyo nakakatakot daw yung ibang punitive provisions, katulad nung pagkamag-express ng different opinion yata ang isang guro ito ay pwedeng makulong... Pero kailangan talaga, dahil nakikita ko araw-araw, as NDCC chairman, na kailangan natin ang resources para sa lahat, hindi na natin pwede palawakin ang ating populasyon. Hindi lumalaki ang ating lupain, lumiliit, umaakyat ng karagatan. At baka ang susunod na paglalabanan ay kakulangan pa ng tubig.
Q: Hindi ka takot sa simbahang Katoliko, na mawalan ka ng...?
A: Natatakot din naman. Natatakot din naman pero ang realidad, ang daming bata sa lansangan na walang mga magulang. Sinong mag-aalaga dito? At pangalawa, lumalaki ang populasyon natin, hindi lumalaki ang lupain natin. Lumiliit, 300 thousand square kilometers lang yan and going.
(Sources: Philippine Daily Inquirer, ANC's Face to Face forum, and Probe Profiles)
He is the man!
Realistically, he is the right person to lead this nation, but our people have not "matured" yet as voters due to various reasons that Mr. Adoremus has mentioned. Maybe he could do better on the next election if he's going to stay for a while working in the government and serving the people until he gets recognized as a good man.
Small If There Is At All
Election in this country is gauge by popularity. Blame the culture for the emotional aspect of it, blame the religious for fueling it farther by joining the mix, blame the voters themselves who willingly agree to be used in return for a small amount and or favor from the politicians, blame the politicians who cannot help to use all of the above to gain mileage and get to sit on that chair of power. Teodoro appeared to be the best candidate and the last hope for complete change for the country, but the people themselves is not yet ready. He maybe the new Magsaysay the country is waiting for a long time, but it's obvious fate is not on his side right now. Pinoys are used to playing the game of chance, but they are also used to loosing that chance. When the people will learn, your guess is as good as mine. Good Luck Gibo!