MANILA, Philippines—Hounded by his ties with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, which some sectors said have kept him low in the surveys, administration standard-bearer Gilbert Teodoro said he hopes the public would see him as his own man.
But he said that despite the negative perception, he would not abandon his party mates in the Lakas-Kampi-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) to boost his survey ratings or win the presidency.
“I took my oath as chairman of Lakas-Kampi-CMD, I am running because I was chosen by Lakas-Kampi-CMD, I will stand and I will fall on that,” Teodoro said in an interview over radio dzBB Tuesday.
“Ano’ng aasahan ng ating mga kababayan kung kanilang makikita na para sa aking sarili lang na ako’y magtatakwil ng aking mga kasamahan? Hindi ko naman kukunsintihin ang katiwalian, pero hindi ko rin naman gagawin ang madramang paraan para manalo (What will our people expect from me if they see me abandoning my party mates for my own good? I will not tolerate wrongdoings, but I will not also resort to drama just to win),” he said.
Asked about "Villarroyo," talks that Arroyo's real bet in this election is Nacionalista Party standard-bearer Manuel Villar, Teodoro said they are just "political rumors."
"Hindi ako na-iinsecure sa mga tsismis na yan dahil ako, ibinibenta ko ang aking sarili at ang aking partido. Ako ang kandidato. Nasa akin kung mananalo o matatalo ako, nasa taumbayan na. Kung anumang issue ang ilalabas nila dyan, at the end of the day, ako ang kandidato (I don’t feel insecure with that rumor because I market my self and my party. I am the candidate. If I will win or lose depends on me, on the people)," he said.
Teodoro said he believes his party will deliver the needed votes for him come election time, given its network of local politicians.
He said he hopes people will also see that he has the track record and qualifications to become the country’s next president.
He said people “should not stereotype” by thinking that a vote for him is also a vote for Arroyo.
“That kind of bigotry and bias is not good,” he said, adding that he would not allow himself to be dictated upon by other people, saying he has honor and reputation to protect.
“Madali maging tuta, mahirap humarap sa bayan (It’s easy to become a lapdog, but it’s hard to face the people),” he said.
A Teodoro administration would definitely be different from the incumbent because he and Arroyo have different personalities and because they are facing different situations, he said.
“Whoever wins this election will have to face the problems brought about by El Niño, the need to continue rebuilding those devastated by typhoon Ondoy, and see what the situation will be after the elections, so it will really depend on the situation,” he said.
He added that being a lawyer, he would also have a different approach compared to the strategies of Arroyo, who is an economist.
No comments:
Post a Comment