MANILA - Banking on their track records as former government officials, Lakas-Kampi-CMD frontrunners Gilbert "Gibo" Teodoro and Edu "Doods" Manzano filed Tuesday their certificates of candidacy for president and vice-president respectively for the 2010 elections.

"Ang pakay po namin ay isang balansyadong reporma at pagpapatuloy ng mabubuting programa na kailangan ng ating bansa. Hindi po panahon ng eksperimento ngayon. Ito ay panahon ng subok nang liderato (We will provide balanced reform and the continuation of good programs that our country needs. This is not the time for experiments. It's a time for proven leadership)," Teodoro said in a press briefing after filing his COC for president.

Manzano said that with Teodoro's track record as congressman and defense secretary and him as a former local government official, their tandem can bring the country forward.

The administration party's tandem was welcomed at the Commission on Elections compound in Intramuros, Manila by a sea of supporters, wearing white and green shirts.

The two attended Mass at the Manila Cathedral before meeting their supporters around the Comelec compound.

Broadcaster Rey Langit and Pangasinan Mayor Ramon Guico also filed their COCs for the senatorial election.

Teodoro announced that Health Secretary Francisco Duque is not running for seantor. He said the health secretary is deciding whether he would run for representative of Pangasinan.

He added that Senators Ramon "Bong" Revillar Jr. and Lito Lapid, who have already filed their COCs, are also running under the Lakas-Kampi-CMD banner.

Difficult campaign

Teodoro, who has been lagging in presidential surveys, admitted that he and Manzano wound have to campaign heavily to catch up on the surveys.

"More exposure. More consultations. I think it's just hard work," he said when asked by ANC's Ricky Carandang what their team should do to bring their numbers up in the surveys.

Manzano, for his part, acknowledged that he would have to play a bigger role in presenting their team to voters. The administration's vice-presidential candidate was a vice-mayor of Makati City and a known TV and movie personality.

Asked about the presidential campaign of Liberal Party's Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, Teodoro hinted that he is treating his cousin as a regular presidential candidate.

"This is a very difficult presidential campaign because there are 57 presidential candidates," he said, adding that he has been informed that he was the 57th presidential candidate to file a COC at the Comelec.

He said he is hoping that voters would choose their candidate on the basis of track record and a well-balanced platform.

Among his proposed programs are reforming basic education, one college degree holder per family, universal participative health care, no nonsense peace and order programs, continuation of infrastructure to make more seamless transportation and communications between islands, support for entrepreneurship, support for investments in information technology, support for research and development, support to farmers in agriculture, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation and genuine autonomy for local government units.

He said their administration would be a leadership of "healing and not of vengeance" in an apparent swipe against opposition candidates who promise people to make President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo liable for alleged corruption and other irregularities in government.