Noli no longer on Lakas-Kampi radar

MANILA, Philippines - Vice President Noli de Castro, one of the frontrunners in surveys of presidential aspirants for the 2010 elections, is no longer on the “radar screen” of the ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD in its search for a standard-bearer, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita disclosed yesterday.

Ermita, president of the party, said there has been “an unexpected groundswell from local executives… unanimously supporting one of our aspirants, (Defense) Secretary (Gilbert) Teodoro.”

Ermita, however, clarified that the party is not yet discounting the bid of Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Bayani Fernando to be the administration’s presidential candidate.

Lakas-Kampi-CMD has given aspirants wanting to be the administration standard-bearer until Sept. 15 to join the party’s selection process.

The deadline is apparently aimed at De Castro who has remained an independent. Fernando and Teodoro are already party members and have signified their intention to run for president.
“In our radar screen are only Secretary Teodoro and Chairman Fernando,” Ermita told radio dzRH.

When asked about De Castro, who is being pushed by some party leaders to be adopted as the standard-bearer, he said: “But Vice President Noli de Castro is not a party member.”

He said President Arroyo did not directly invite De Castro to join the party and become the Lakas-Kampi standard-bearer.

Mrs. Arroyo issued a statement last week after De Castro had told reporters that the President spoke with him on the matter, saying the Vice President would make “a good president.”

Ermita, however, clarified last night that he did not say that the party is letting go of De Castro as a possible standard-bearer.

“I did not say the Vice President was out of the running,” Ermita told The STAR in a telephone interview.

He said what he meant was that De Castro was not a party member and therefore could not be considered officially in the selection process.

Ermita said the party’s national executive committee “could still talk about it,” referring to the possibility that De Castro might join the party before the deadline lapses.

The Lakas-Kampi-CMD national executive committee led by Mrs. Arroyo will meet after the Sept. 15 deadline and announce before the end of the month the administration’s presidential candidate.

Presidential Adviser for Political Affairs Gabriel Claudio said the party could not move the deadline to accommodate other aspirants.

“In 10 days, we will announce our candidate,” Claudio said.

He said some party leaders were asking the President to make her choice so that the selection process will be faster “but she wants the decision to come from the party so that they will be the stakeholders to that decision.”

He said it was agreed that only a party member could be considered as the standard-bearer.

Quezon City Rep. Matias Defensor said Lakas-Kampi-CMD might be forced to adopt a presidential candidate from another party if its own candidates do not improve their ratings in the coming popularity surveys.

“It would be suicidal, impractical, not pragmatic, and a total waste of time to have a candidate who is not popular,” he told the Serye Café news forum in Quezon City.

Defensor, a member of the Lakas-Kampi national executive committee, said members of the panel apparently have conducted a secret straw vote among themselves two weeks ago on who they would support as the party’s presidential candidate.

He said the members were asked to list down four to five names of presidential aspirants, including those identified with the opposition.

“My choices were Senators Manny Villar and Chiz (Francis) Escudero, Vice President Noli de Castro, and Sen. Mar Roxas in that order,” he said.

Villar is the presidential aspirant of the Nacionalista Party, while Escudero is the one of the bets of the Nationalist People’s Coalition; De Castro has remained an independent, and Roxas is a former presidential bet of the Liberal Party.

Roxas withdrew from the presidential race to give way to Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, son of former President Corazon Aquino who passed away last Aug. 1.

He said although the result of the straw vote has not been revealed, based on his conversations with his colleagues, his impression was that Villar and Escudero were the dominant choices.

“That is because Sen. Villar is the top performer in the surveys, while Chiz is coming in strong. So it’s possible that if we decide to just adopt a candidate, our choice would be confined to them,” he added.

Villar, Escudero and Roxas are identified with the opposition, while De Castro regards himself as an independent.

Lakas adopted De Castro in 2004 as President Arroyo’s running mate. Lakas members have been recruiting De Castro to join the party and participate in the selection process for the administration’s standard-bearer in next year’s elections.

Some news reports said that Claudio disclosed that Lakas-Kampi gave De Castro until Sept. 15 to decide.

Defensor said Teodoro was not among his choices because at the time the straw vote was conducted the defense chief had rated poorly in the surveys.

“But all is not lost for him. Gibo (Teodoro’s nickname) is brilliant and competent. I am sure he can improve his survey performance especially now that he has won the support of 49 provincial governors. Things can change rapidly,” he said.

He said the lists of preferences made by members of the Lakas-Kampi national executive committee were given to Ermita, the party’s president.

Defensor also urged his party’s leaders to announce their choice of a presidential standard-bearer soon.

He lamented that although Lakas-Kampi is the biggest political group in the country, it is still searching for its candidate while other aspirants for the presidency have already embarked on unofficial campaigning.

“We are losing out to the other political parties,” he said.

He warned party leaders that indecision on their part could prompt members in the provinces to commit their support to other candidates.

Jamby prepares list of corrupt people

Sen. Jamby Madrigal has made a list of corrupt citizens, including some of her relatives, who will face criminal prosecution if she wins the presidency in 2010.

“I will jail corrupt people, including my relatives, if elected president,” Madrigal told reporters during the weekly Daungan ng Balita at the Danarra Hotel in Quezon City.

She said the campaign against corruption is part of her platform of government in the coming elections.

She said arresting a “big fish” would set an example and curb graft and corruption in the country.

The senator said the list included elected officials, and some of her relatives who are smugglers and tax evaders.

“We must jail big fish. Big tax evaders, smugglers, “ she said.

She claimed that a nationwide network of supporters has already committed their support to her presidential bid.

Madrigal clarified that her supporters are unpaid and idealistic volunteers and not a network of real estate agents, apparently referring to Sen. Manual Villar’s real estate business.

She said that she would come out with her own infomercial that is different from the infomercials of other presidential candidates.

Aside from corruption, Madrigal also said that her political platform will be focused on the abolition of the RP-US Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and review of the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreement, which she said is hurting the country. – With Jess Diaz, Perseus Echeminada