Solons: Noynoy afraid of facing Gibo in debate

by Fernan Marasigan / Reporter (Business Mirror)

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=21949:solons-noynoy-afraid-of-facing-gibo-in-debate&catid=26:nation&Itemid=63

IS Liberal Party (LP) standard-bearer Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III afraid to face his cousin, administration bet former defense secretary Gilbert Teodoro, in a one-on-one debate?

Proadministration legislators believed so, after Aquino challenged only Nacionalista Party (NP) Rep. Manuel “Manny” Villar, whom he believes is his closest rival based on surveys, to a debate.

Lakas-Kampi-CMD Rep. Maria Milagros Magsaysay of Zambales said Aquino is avoiding Teodoro because he knew that he was no match with the Lakas-Kampi-CMD bet because he (Teodoro) is “more intelligent and articulate.”

“Ayaw niyang hamunin si Gibo kasi Gibo is more articulate and intelligent than him, and doesn’t need codigos,” Magsaysay said.
Magsaysay said Aquino should also have a one-on-one and free-wheeling debate with Teodoro with no prepared questions and without the so-called codigos.

“It’s pointless to have a debate with Noynoy if he has codigos prepared by his advisers. A debate should be freewheeling and no prepared questions, and no one should be allowed to use codigos,” Magsaysay said.

Should the debate push through, Magsaysay proposed that the candidates should not be informed of the questions ahead to prevent them from making prepared answers.

Lakas-Kampi-CMD Rep. Pedro Romualdo of Camiguin and House Deputy Speaker for Mindanao Simeon Datumanong agreed with Magsaysay.

“Noynoy is only afraid of Gibo because he can’t match him. But you cannot force one to fight another if he believes he has no chance of winning the debate,” said Romualdo.

Romualdo said it was also unfair for Aquino to exclude Teodoro from the debates when the former said he prefers a debate only with fellow front- runners in presidential surveys of the Social Weather Stations (SWS) and Pulse Asia.

“That’s not fair. Gibo topped the mock polls and he is the most intelligent among the candidates,” Romualdo said.

Datumanong, for his part, said that it was arrogant for Aquino and unfair on the public to use SWS and Pulse Asia results as basis of choosing the debate participants.

“That’s not fair for the public who should hear all the presidential candidates on the issues and programs of government as basis of whom to vote for,” Datumanong said.

Magsaysay said Aquino should have a one-on-one debate with all presidential candidates, not only with Villar and those who are topping the surveys.

Lakas-Kampi-CMD Rep. Danilo Suarez of Quezon, meanwhile, urged Aquino not to use his popularity as basis for choosing who should participate in political debates.

According to Suarez, survey ratings have nothing to do in considering who will debate with whom.

“It’s not like boxing where only top contenders are scheduled to fight,” said Suarez, chairman of the House oversight committee.

Suarez said there are nine presidential bets and Teodoro has shown that he is better than the other candidates in many symposiums where almost all political and economic issues are discussed