Puno Throws Support Behind Gibo's Presidential Bid

September 9, 2009

Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronnie Puno yesterday threw his support behind the presidential bid of Defense Secretary Gilbert “Gibo”  Teodoro, saying he believes that the Lakas-Kampi CMD will have a strong standard bearer in the person of the young Cabinet official.

At the same time, Puno also dismissed the move of some Lakas members to bolt fhe party, saying that this was merely a ploy by a “washed-out” group to call attention to themselves.
 
Puno, who is co-vice chairman of the merged Lakas-Kampi CMD, said that the move by the Lakas renegade group to resort to technicalities and arguments about party rules and regulations was the “refuge of people with no public support” to speak of.
 
“Their moves are really suspect,” Puno said.
 
As an aspirant himself seeking the nomination of the Lakas-Kampi CMD as its candidate for vice president, Puno said he believes that a teamup with Teodoro will be a “winning move” for the administration party.
 
Puno said he was endorsing the  45-year old defense chief as standard bearer of the party because he belleves that it is now time for the “younger generation to come in” and take over the challenges of the presidency of the country.
 
Teodoro, Puno said, has the support not only of at least 49 or more than half of the total of the country’s provincial governors, as had been publicly announced earlier, but by “about 80%” of them.  
 
“Speaking as an aspirant for the nomination  of the party,  I believe that my own candidacy will be stronger if it is with the candidacy of Gibo Teodoro for president,” Puno said in a press briefing held at his office in  Camp Crame.
 
Teodoro, Puno said, was one of the best public officials he has ever met or worked with in his more than 30 years as a public servant.
 
“Gibo (Teodoro) has no tinge of wrongdoing or misconduct, as he has always been an honest public official, “ Puno said.
 
 Puno said that  as Teodoro’s vice president, he can serve as an elder adviser who can counsel him on various issues by drawing from his experiences in his many years in the government service, especially in the field of local concerns, “which has been my entire career.”
 
 “I believe that the combination of  the youth and energy…. and a very qualified, bar topnotcher of a candidate with the many, many long trying years of  my public service will result in a lot of positive things for the country,” Puno said.
 
Puno stressed that his support for Teodoro was his personal stand, and that if the party decides later on to pick another candidate, such as Vice President Noli de Castro, he will likewise be honored to work with  the official presidential bet.