MANILA – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Thursday rallied the ruling coalition to work together to ensure the victory of its candidates in the May 2010 elections against the background of the continuing “exodus” of high-profile members to other political parties.
The President made the call as the ruling Lakas-Kampi Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) met to formally endorse the nomination of former defense secretary Gilberto Teodoro as its presidential standard bearer and actor- TV host Edu Manzano as his running mate in next year’s polls.
About 3,000 leaders and members attended the Lakas-Kampi national convention at the Philippine International Convention Center in suburban Pasay City, Metro Manila where they also mapped out strategy in trying to maintain the party’s hold on power.
The
ruling coalition arose from a merger of the the Lakas CMD, founded by former president Fidel Ramos and former speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. of the House of Representatives and the “Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino” (Kampi or Partners of the Free Filipinos) established by President Arroyo.
Ramos and De Venecia were noticeably absent from the convention following their announcement they were against the merger.
In her speech, the President called the Kampi-Lakas CMD the “party of the future” which she hinted would pursue the programme of government she has initiated in the nine years since she took over Malacanang in 2001.
During the convention, President Arroyo also announced she was giving up her post as Lakas-Kampi chairman in favor of Teodoro to enable him to steer the party to victory in the 2010 polls.
In his acceptance speech, Teodoro, who is faring poorly in public opinion polls, vowed to overcome the odds and win the presidency on his platform of “pro-country, pro-people and pro-environment.”
Teodoro likewise lauded the Arroyo achievements, saying that under her rule, she initiated major reforms that enabled the country to post annual economic growths even at a time when the world has been suffering from the ongoing global economic and financial turmoil.
At the same time, he lashed out at the critics and detractors who have attacked the Arroyo administration, especially on the issue of alleged unabated graft and corruption, in order to pursue their own political agenda.
But Teodoro did not say outright whether he would pursue the same policies and reforms implemented by the Arroyo administration if he becomes president.
On the day that the ruling party was holding its national convention, Lakas-Kampi stalwarts like Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Junior of suburban Quezon City, Metro Manila announced he and other leaders were defecting to and had taken their oath on Thursday as members of the opposition Liberal Party (LP) whose presidential candidate is Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino 3rd, the only son of the late global democracy icon president Corazon Aquino.
Belmonte, the former Lakas-Kampi executive vice president for external affairs, also said he was joined in his defection to the LP by Mayor Enrico Echiverri of the neighboring city of Caloocan.
Earlier, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, the party’s vice president for Mindanao, admitted that almost 30 to 40 percent of Lakas-Kampi leaders have decamped to other parties six months before the May 2010 presidential elections.
Aside from the LP, Zubiri said the other party leaders have joined forces with the Nacionalista Party whose standard bearer is Senator Manuel Villar with Senator Loren Legarda as his vice presidential candidate.
But despite the exodus, President Arroyo and Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita insisted that Lakas-Kampi is still the party to beat in next year’s polls. They pointed out that the majority of congressmen as well as provincial and local officials, such as governors and mayors who are at the grassroots, are still party members.
In the latest survey conducted by the polling organization Pulse Asia in late September, Aquino remained the overwhelming choice at 44 percent of the 1,800 respondents nationwide to be their president in the May 2010 polls.
Coming in a distant second at 19 percent was Villar of the NP with ousted president Joseph Estrada garnering 11 percent.
Teodoro obtained a measly four percent in the survey but said he was unfazed as he expressed confidence his ratings would go up once he hits the campaign trail.
Loading ...
Reader’s Views