THE administration Lakas-Kampi coalition chose Wednesday afternoon Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro as its presidential candidate for next year’s national elections. The choice pits Teodoro against his cousin, Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, who is the standard-bearer for the Liberal Party, one of the opposition parties.
Teodoro was chosen in a closed-door meeting of the ruling coalition’s National Executive Committee at the Edsa Shangri-La in Mandaluyong City. Although the question of standard-bearer has been settled, that of who would be the vice presidential running mate has not yet been decided.
Lakas leaders, however, said that only Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno has expressed interest in the position. Vice President Noli de Castro, whose political plans remained vague, did not show up for the meeting. De Castro is not a Lakas member and has not expressed his intention to join the administration ticket.
The decision to field Teodoro was made following a forum in which he and his rival, Metro Manila Development Authority Chair Bayani Fernando, were asked about their positions on various issues such as national security, agriculture, increasing the share of local governments in the national revenue collection, unemployment, poverty, global warming and even graft and corruption.
Each contender was also asked why he wanted to be the standard-bearer for Lakas. Fernando cited his record as a true member of his party and indicated that his party owed him loyalty in return. Teodoro, on the other hand, expressed his commitment to continue the “achievements” of the Arroyo administration which, he said, remains “unmatched” by previous administrations. The defense secretary also vowed to put up “structural reforms” in government, specifically through a constitutional convention.
Ominous signs of a worsening split in the coalition emerged after Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo, son of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, asked what each one would do if he was not chosen standard-bearer. Teodoro, who has reportedly rounded up the support of Lakas congressmen, said he will abide by the wisdom of the party. Fernando, however, replied, “I will keep my options open. I will see if the party is worth the loyalty I have given it.”
The Lakas-Kampi coalition has lately been rocked by the dissatisfaction of two of its senior members–former President Fidel V. Ramos and former Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr.–who questioned the validity of the merger of the two parties. Kampi is President Arroyo’s party while Lakas was founded by Ramos.
Ironically, Lakas itself was the product of a discord within the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino party, the administration party during the presidency of Corazon Aquino. But in 1992, Laban had chosen Ramon Mitra, as its standard-bearer. Determined to seek the presidency, Ramos broke away from Laban and, with then President Aquino’s support, won the elections.
Positions on issues
During the forum, Teodoro, in answer to the issues raised by Lakas-Kampi members, said that on matters of national security, fighting terrorism is the bottom-line. He vowed to crush terrorists and indicated that the Armed Forces of the Philippines may have to increase the number of its fighting force. He noted that among the countries of southeast Asia, the Philippines–which is still facing an insurgency–has a relatively small military.
Citing his experience as defense secretary, Teodoro said a persistent problem in the government’s anti-insurgency campaign is the difficulty of keeping areas rebel-free after these have been won over by the AFP. He said there was a need “for deterrence and development at the same time.” Peace efforts are good, he said, but the government must make sure to prevent the rise of new threats.
Fernando, however, said it was more important to win the hearts and minds of those who are taking up arms against the government.
“Peace and prosperity go hand in hand. We need good governance. If we have the political will and implement laws, titino at yayaman tayo. Wala na tayong dapat imbentuhin sa bagay na ‘yan. Naisabatas na natin ang dapat gawin (We will do well and become prosperous. We do not have to invent anything new to do that. Everything is already in our laws),” he said.
Fernando also promised to end the problem of squatting in urban areas nationwide, just as he did in Marikina where he served as mayor.
Teodoro, on the other hand, said that urban blight is the result of overpopulation. He said the country needs “an honest-to-goodness population control program” to solve the problem of squatting.
The administration coalition’s local leaders also insisted on knowing what each candidate thought about implementing a 50-50 sharing of revenues between the national and local governments. The current sharing scheme is 60-40 in favor of the national government. When the two contenders tried to dodge the issue, a congressman insisted that they answer with a simple yes or no.
Fernando said he would agree to an equal sharing between the national government and the local government units if the latter are able to show that they could use the fund well. Teodoro, after saying that the problem is not in the division of the revenues but in the lack of tax collections, had to say, “No, I am not in favor of that at this time.”
On corruption
To the question of how they would reduce poverty and unemployment, Teodoro said the answer lies in the creation of an environment that would attract investors and consequently create jobs. Fernando, on the other hand, said the key to prosperity is in giving farmers more income so they could, in turn, become more powerful consumers. In addition, he said, “Lahat tayo maging produktibo, gawin nang mabuti ang ating trabaho (Let us all be productive, let us do our jobs well).”
On climate change, Teodoro said the Philippines is “not a climate-maker but a victim” of global warming caused by the practices of other nations. For this reason, he said the Philippines should urge other nations to do their part in averting climate change. Fernando said a crucial element in controlling climate change lies in the efficient use of fuel and better knowledge of technology.
On promoting the interests of the youth who make up 60 percent of the population and the electorate, Fernando said education remains the key. He said the government must provide the conditions that would enable students to focus on their education. Teodoro said that aside from providing education, the government could also improve youthful participation in governance by lowering the minimum age requirement for councilors. At present, one must at least be 18 years old to run for councilor.
Finally, the two contenders were asked by their partymates about what they would do to combat graft and corruption. Teodoro said there is a need to raise the salaries of government workers so they could have “a modicum of comfort that would enable them to withstand temptation.”
“We can’t weed out graft and corruption if the pitiful condition of public servants remain. We can’t expect people to work for nothing,” he said.
Fernando, on the other hand, said there is a need to exert more control over government spending on infrastructure and technology. He said more money is being wasted on failed technology than on corruption.
None of the two rivals mentioned or commented on the accusations of corruption that have been hurled against the Arroyo administration.