MANILA, Philippines - Tarlac Congresswoman Nikki Prieto-Teodoro, wife of Lakas-Kampi-CMD standard-bearer Gilbert Teodoro on Saturday urged members of the Cojuangco family not to wash their dirty linen in public.

Interviewed in Antipolo City, Teodoro declined to add fuel to the controversy regarding statements made by the wife and daughter of San Miguel Corp. chair and Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC) chair emeritus that they would support any other presidential candidate except Teodoro.

"I was not brought up that way, yung naglalabas ng baho ng pamilya. So I cannot comment on that," Rep. Prieto-Teodoro said.
   
"Delikadesa yan eh. Kung wala silang delikadesa, problema nila yan. Ikaw ba, pag may baho ang pamilya mo dapat ba nilalabas mo?" she added.

Her husband on Friday also said family rifts should not be made an election issue.

"Issues of that nature are not proper issues for a presidential election. Issues of that nature do not affect the life of Juan de la Cruz by any stretch of imagination," Teodoro said in Makati City before banking professionals.

Teodoro said it's bad to assume that if "the patron has created you, the patron has made you, therefore the patron owns you."

"That kind of politics has beset the country for a long, long time," he added.

He said making family problems an election issue was "quite dangerous" as it "smacks of patronage politics."

Lisa Cojuangco for Noynoy

Lisa Cojuangco-Cruz, daughter of Danding, said on Thursday that she would not support her cousin as she openly endorsed Liberal Party (LP) presidential candidate Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III of the Liberal Party.

Cojuangco-Cruz said her father felt insulted by Teodoro's decision to leave the NPC for the administration party.

"Masamang-masama ang loob ng daddy ko. He was given all the best, better than all the children. Basta na lang umalis. Walang kinalaman si GMA (President Arroyo). Lumaki ang ulo eh. Kailangan niyang bumaba (My daddy feels really bad. He was given all the best, better than all the children. He just went away. President Arroyo has nothing to do with this. He (Teodoro) became bigheaded. He needs to look down)," Cruz said.

Anybody but Gibo

Last month, Danding's wife, Gretchen, told reporters that her husband would support any candidate except for Teodoro. (Read: Anybody but Gibo, says Danding's wife)

"Anybody but Gibo. Anybody," she told reporters, after being asked who her husband would support between Teodoro and their other nephew, Noynoy Aquino.

 I'm just a wife that's why ga lain ang buot ko (sumasama ang loob ko) for my husband," she said in Ilonggo.

Mrs. Cojuangco said Teodoro failed to inform her husband that he was leaving the NPC to join Lakas-Kampi-CMD despite receiving help from Danding for the past 9 years.

She also belied reports that Teodoro and her husband are in good terms. -- With reports from Chiara Zambrano, ABS-CBN News