51 Governors Throw Support Behind Gibo

MANILA, Philippines - At least 51 provincial governors from the country’s vote-rich regions have forged a “multiparty alliance” to campaign and deliver the votes for Lakas-Kampi-CMD standard-bearer Gibo Teodoro, who they described as the “best, brightest and most capable candidate” in this year’s presidential race.

In a manifesto of support adopted last week, the governors said their decision to back Gibo was reached after careful consideration of the track record, qualifications and platform of government of each of the presidential bets in this year’s national balloting.

“Having completed our review, our candidate for President has to be ‘Gibo’ Teodoro and no other, and for whom we hereby commit ourselves to campaigning nationwide, among our local constituencies—our vice-governors, our board members, mayors, vice-mayors, councilors, barangay captains and other local leaders— with the view to delivering to him the highest possible number of votes in our local areas,” the governors said in their joint manifesto.

Among those who signed the manifesto forming a “multiparty” alliance to support Gibo’s presidential bid were Governors Gwendolyn Garcia of Cebu; Amado Espino Jr. of Pangasinan; Michael Keon of Ilocos Norte; Deogracias Victor Savellano of Ilocos Sur; Teresita Lazaro of Laguna; Casimiro Ynares III of Rizal; Joey Salceda of Albay; Jesus Typoco Jr. of Camarines Norte; Aurelio Umali of Nueva Ecija; Sally Ante Lee of Sorsogon; Erico Aumentado of Bohol; Salvacion Zaldivar Perez of Antique, Ben Evardone of Eastern Samar and Miguel Dominguez of Sarangani.

They said their “multiparty alliance” was created solely to achieve the goal “campaigning only for the best, brightest and most capable candidate for President in the May elections,” who is none other than Gibo Teodoro.

The governors, who are grouped together under the League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP), said that after carefully studying the current crop of presidential candidates in this year’s elections, they have reached the “inescapable conclusion” that Gibo is the one candidate who “towers over the field, possessing the high intellect, courage of conviction and managerial competence to pursue the best-conceived pro-gram of government that could propel our country to new heights of economic development and growth.”

“Gilberto ‘Gibo’ Teodoro Jr. has articulated a well-thought out program and vision for the Filipino people—by far the best, and only presidential aspirant who has eschewed empty platitudes and rhetoric to provide a substantive, issue-specific program on how the country can move forward and be modernized through deep-rooted reforms and change within our democratic way of life,” their manifesto stated.

The others who signed the manifesto were Governors Josephine Sato of Occidental Mindoro; Telesforo Castillejos of Batanes; Alvaro Antonio of Cagayan; Bellaflor Angara Castillo of Aurora; Nestor Fongwan of Benguet; Floydelia Diasen of Kalinga; Maximo Dalog of Mt. Province; Enrique Garcia, Jr. of Bataan; Gov. Dakila Carlo Cua of Quirino; Eustaquio Bersamin of Abra; Jose Antonio Carrion of Marinduque; Arnan Panaligan of Oriental Mindoro; Mario Joel Reyes of Palawan; Natalio Beltran III of Romblon; Elisa Olga Kho of Masbate;

Governors Damian Mercado of Southern Leyte; Felipe Hilan Nava of Guimaras; Isidro Zayco of Negros Occidental; Jesus Jurdin Romualdo of Camiguin; Carlos Jericho Petilla of Leyte; Milagros Tan of Samar; Orlando Fua, Jr. of Siquijor; Carlito Marquez of Aklan;

Governors Ma. Valentina Plaza of Agusan del Sur; Vicente Pimentel, Jr. of Surigao del Sur; Sadikul Sahali of Tawi-Tawi; Mohammad Khalid Dimaporo of Lanao del Norte; Oscar Moreno of Misamis Oriental; Lakas-Kampi-CMD national president Miguel Dominguez of Sarangani; Rolando Yebes of Zamboanga del Norte; Jesus Sacdalan of North Cotabato; Aurora Cerilles of Zamboanga del Sur; Abdusakur Tan of Sulu; George Hofer of Zamboanga Sibugay; Jum Akbar of Basilan; Mamintal Adiong of Lanao del Sur; Erlpe John Amante of Agusan del Norte; and Suharto Mangudadatu of Sultan Kudarat.

They pointed out that “Gibo, the country’s 1989 Bar topnotcher, former three-term Congressman and former Secretary of Defense, has strength of character and unquestioned integrity.”

“[Gibo] does not only have a program of government but has courageously worked with issues of peace and development amid the rising demands of the new global economic order,” they said.

The governors also agreed that Gibo has shown “decisive leadership in promoting social and economic justice, in building bridges of understanding in our archipelagic nation of multi-religious and multi-cultural diversity, in fighting conflict and terrorism through education and economic alleviation program, and most specially in strengthening the local government units to enhance their capacity to govern, raise income and fight mass poverty as the front-line workers of government.”