MANILA, Philippines - President Gloria Arroyo saw her intelligent, articulate defense chief, Gilberto Teodoro, as an ideal successor, but her blessing appears to be turning into a curse.

Despite impressing even his opponents with his command of national issues, the licensed commercial pilot and Harvard law school graduate has barely registered in opinion polls ahead of presidential elections in May.

Many link Teodoro's dismal popularity ratings to his association with Arroyo, a hugely unpopular figure who has been accused of vote fraud and corruption -- a point he candidly admits he can now do little about.

"You can't win them all. There are some situations where you just have to accept where you are. You just have to live with it," Teodoro, 45, told Agence France-Presse on the campaign trail this month when asked about Arroyo hurting his chances.

Highlighting just how poisonous Arroyo appears to be for Teodoro, a national survey released this week by a reputable polling firm found that 52 percent of Filipinos would not vote for a candidate endorsed by the current president.

Another 22 percent said they would probably not vote for Arroyo's candidate.

"He has this baggage with the Arroyo administration that has been viewed very negatively to the point of being hated by some sectors," said Olivia Domingo, a professor of public administration at the University of the Philippines.

Teodoro placed fourth in the latest independent survey of presidential candidates, selected by only five percent of respondents as their choice.

His distant cousin, Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino, and wealthy property developer Manny Villar were virtually tied in the lead with 37 and 35 percent respectively.

Former president Joseph Estrada was third with 12 percent.

Teodoro's reception this month at the influential Makati Business Club, a group known to be hostile to Arroyo, highlighted his woes.

Teodoro earned plaudits from listeners with his detailed plans on healthcare, education and economic development, but they remained sceptical.

"He is a very impressive person. But it is a pity he is associated with somebody who is, to our minds, not a very impressive leader," said club member and former finance secretary Ramon del Rosario.

Club president Alberto Lim also praised Teodoro, who at age 43 was appointed by Arroyo to become the nation's youngest-ever defense chief in 2007.

"He is articulate, his record is quite clean," Lim said.

"But he is linked to Gloria Arroyo and we don't want to have anything to do with Gloria Arroyo. That is why his ratings are so low."

In public, Teodoro has remained loyal to Arroyo -- who is required by the Constitution to step down this year -- and tried to focus on an upbeat message that largely also avoided attacking his rivals.

"We are running a positive campaign. We have to be positive. You have to lift the morale of the people. You have to lift their spirits," he told AFP.

Teodoro also insisted he could still win when the 50 million voters across this Southeast Asian archipelago went to the polls, while trying to point to other factors than Arroyo for his poor ratings.

"Our studies show that it is a lack of exposure which is affecting me," he said, adding this was being addressed by an advertising campaign and his own sorties to vote-rich provinces.

"We'll have immersion in more densely populated areas. We have to touch as many areas as possible."

He also believes that the much-trumpeted machinery of the ruling Lakas Kampi CMD, which has local candidates in about 80 percent of the country, will be able to secure him large swathes of votes.

Other major parties only had candidates in about 40 percent of all local seats, he said.

Domingo, from the University of the Philippines, also said Teodoro had gained quite a following among the nation's youth, especially the college crowd, who were impressed by his intelligent performances in debates.

But she said, with Arroyo casting a shadow over him, Teodoro's election fate looked to be sealed.

"He has to do something that will really capture people's imagination despite the fact that he has this connection with Arroyo. But I don't know what that winning formula is," she said.