MANILA - Former Philippine President Fidel Ramos skipped the Lakas-Kampi-Christian Muslim Democrats national convention on Thursday, opting instead to attend the three-day World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) in Doha, Qatar.

In an interview, Ramos said it is too early to decide who he will support in the  2010 national elections despite holding the title of chairman emeritus of Lakas-Kampi-CMD.

"It’s too early to decide. We are talking about 2010 and even next week is sill too early. It's not for us to judge the presidentiables right now," he told ABS-CBN Middle East News Bureau.

Lakas-Kampi-CMD's vice chairman House Speaker Prospero Nograles, meanwhile, believes the former president will support Teodoro's presidential bid.

Nograles said Ramos could just be looking for a good timing to announce his support for the administration.

"FVR will come in when it counts most. I know he is a person who goes for timing. He's never off timing, look at EDSA. He will not show himself when its not the proper time. Timing is always everything," he said.

Ramos, meanwhile, joked that he might even consider running in next year's presidential election. "'Yung tatakbo ulit, aba'y araw-araw tumatakbo ako eh. Bakit ako hindi tatakbo? Aba eh meron akong malaking problema, mga kasama. Napakalalim na problema eh. Baka ako manalo eh," he said.

(About my running, well I run every day. Why won't I run? Well I have a problem, a very big problem. I might win.)

He added that if he wins, he would no longer be eating burgers. "Kakain na ako siguro ng $20,000 [meals] at saka mapapaligiran tayo ng mga security d'yan, mga de baril d'yan, mga protocol d'yan, mga DFA d'yan."

Turning serious, Ramos said he considers all the presidential candidates to be competent especially in crafting social and economic programs aswell as peace initiatives in Mindanao.

The former president said the country should give automation a chance to work in next year's election. "It's already there so let's maximize it," he said.

Ramos urged overseas Filipino workers in Doha to continue to help the Philippine economy and help the future generations of Filipinos. With a report from Delfin Montenegro, ABS-CBN News