By Delon Porcalla (The Philippine Star)
Link: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=566311&publicationSubCategoryId=63a
MANILA, Philippines - Speaker Prospero Nograles clarified yesterday that he is not leaving Lakas-Kampi-CMD, but he warned the party’s presidential bet Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. to “shape up or ship out.”
In a statement, Nograles, the party’s vice chairman, said he would not resign from Lakas-Kampi.
He enumerated several mistakes in the campaign that were made by Teodoro, whose ratings remained at seven percent in recent surveys of presidential aspirants, and gave suggestions on how to solve them.
“Enough is enough. Gibo must shape up – address the grievances of Lakas members, recover their confidence, motivate the party - or he (Teodoro) ships out of the party,” he warned, citing Teodoro’s abrupt resignation as Lakas-Kampi chairman without consulting other party leaders.
“Gibo abandoned the party chairmanship at the most crucial hour - the start of the local campaign,” Nograles, who is currently running for mayor in his hometown Davao City, said.
He is running against Davao City Vice Mayor Sara Duterte, the daughter of his main political rival incumbent Mayor Rodrigo Duterte who is serving his third and last term as mayor and is now running for vice mayor.
Nograles admitted that the administration party is out of control.
“It (Lakas-Kampi) is in total disarray contrary to what is being bandied about in the media. Congressmen, governors and mayors no longer know who to talk to about their concerns, grievances,” he said.
“I was president of Lakas before the merger (with Kampi). This is the party that made the 14th Congress a productive institution which has produced key legislation to insulate the Republic from the global financial turmoil,” he said.
He said Teodoro also has a wrong sense of priorities.
“He is spending more time in smaller provinces like Sarangani and took for granted the vote-rich provinces of Ilocos Sur, Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental or Compostela Valley province,” Nograles said.
Nograles said there is still hope for the administration party.
“A reformed Gibo could regroup Lakas so he could utilize the party’s underutilized potential as the country’s biggest political party with the most number of elected officials,” he proposed.
Nograles urged former President Fidel Ramos to save Lakas.
“FVR (Ramos) could surely regroup the old Lakas stalwarts of the grand party and unite them, bond them together again to be able to consider other options available under the present circumstances,” he said.
Ramos was then the defense secretary when he founded Lakas in 1992 to run for the presidency, which he won.
The former president, however, does not recognize the merger of Lakas with Kampi and he rejected offers for him to be an official of the new party.
Pangasinan Rep. Jose de Venecia Jr., former president of Lakas, said that he, Ramos and other Lakas originals would reclaim their party from loyalists of President Arroyo.
Misamis Oriental Gov. Oscar Moreno, Lakas-Kampi vice chairman, told ABS-CBN News Channel that he could understand if Nograles felt slighted by the designation of a subordinate in the House, Deputy Speaker Amelita Villarosa, as Lakas-Kampi chair.
“He should really be given importance because he is one of the highest-ranking officials of the country,” he said.
Moreno said some party members who transferred to other parties were just exercising their freedom of choice.
Villarosa claimed that Nograles did not attend the party meeting two weeks ago since he was busy with his campaign in Davao City, but the speaker said he was not even invited.
Palace defends GMA over Lakas-Kampi woes
Deputy presidential spokesman Gary Olivar said President Arroyo should not be blamed for the problems of Lakas-Kampi.
He said Mrs. Arroyo wants the current party leaders to resolve the problems, including defections of key leaders.
Olivar also welcomed the news that Nograles has opted to stay with the party despite his complaints.
“If the Speaker eventually decides to stay in Lakas and in particular to support (administration standard-bearer former) Secretary (Gilbert) Teodoro, then the Speaker and the party leadership should be congratulated - one for keeping his word, the other for keeping it together,” Olivar said.
He referred to reports that former President Ramos and Pangasinan Rep. De Venecia were blaming Mrs. Arroyo, president emeritus of Lakas-Kampi, for the problems of the party.
“The President already made a decision and clarified her priorities: first is governance and the (electoral) campaign, including for herself, comes only second,” Olivar said.
He said the task of addressing the party issues would fall on the shoulders of its leaders.
“The party is there, they have a good leadership, they have good candidates and as I’ve mentioned before, whenever the President needs to be presidential, whenever she needs her presidential moments with the party, she does it,” he added.
Olivar, however, appealed to Lakas-Kampi members not to abandon the party or Teodoro.
“I will remind them that Secretary Teodoro, at the end of the day, does continue to be the candidate who most deserves the presidency,” he said. With Paolo Romero, Jess Diaz
Link: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=566311&publicationSubCategoryId=63a
MANILA, Philippines - Speaker Prospero Nograles clarified yesterday that he is not leaving Lakas-Kampi-CMD, but he warned the party’s presidential bet Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. to “shape up or ship out.”
In a statement, Nograles, the party’s vice chairman, said he would not resign from Lakas-Kampi.
He enumerated several mistakes in the campaign that were made by Teodoro, whose ratings remained at seven percent in recent surveys of presidential aspirants, and gave suggestions on how to solve them.
“Enough is enough. Gibo must shape up – address the grievances of Lakas members, recover their confidence, motivate the party - or he (Teodoro) ships out of the party,” he warned, citing Teodoro’s abrupt resignation as Lakas-Kampi chairman without consulting other party leaders.
“Gibo abandoned the party chairmanship at the most crucial hour - the start of the local campaign,” Nograles, who is currently running for mayor in his hometown Davao City, said.
He is running against Davao City Vice Mayor Sara Duterte, the daughter of his main political rival incumbent Mayor Rodrigo Duterte who is serving his third and last term as mayor and is now running for vice mayor.
Nograles admitted that the administration party is out of control.
“It (Lakas-Kampi) is in total disarray contrary to what is being bandied about in the media. Congressmen, governors and mayors no longer know who to talk to about their concerns, grievances,” he said.
“I was president of Lakas before the merger (with Kampi). This is the party that made the 14th Congress a productive institution which has produced key legislation to insulate the Republic from the global financial turmoil,” he said.
He said Teodoro also has a wrong sense of priorities.
“He is spending more time in smaller provinces like Sarangani and took for granted the vote-rich provinces of Ilocos Sur, Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental or Compostela Valley province,” Nograles said.
Nograles said there is still hope for the administration party.
“A reformed Gibo could regroup Lakas so he could utilize the party’s underutilized potential as the country’s biggest political party with the most number of elected officials,” he proposed.
Nograles urged former President Fidel Ramos to save Lakas.
“FVR (Ramos) could surely regroup the old Lakas stalwarts of the grand party and unite them, bond them together again to be able to consider other options available under the present circumstances,” he said.
Ramos was then the defense secretary when he founded Lakas in 1992 to run for the presidency, which he won.
The former president, however, does not recognize the merger of Lakas with Kampi and he rejected offers for him to be an official of the new party.
Pangasinan Rep. Jose de Venecia Jr., former president of Lakas, said that he, Ramos and other Lakas originals would reclaim their party from loyalists of President Arroyo.
Misamis Oriental Gov. Oscar Moreno, Lakas-Kampi vice chairman, told ABS-CBN News Channel that he could understand if Nograles felt slighted by the designation of a subordinate in the House, Deputy Speaker Amelita Villarosa, as Lakas-Kampi chair.
“He should really be given importance because he is one of the highest-ranking officials of the country,” he said.
Moreno said some party members who transferred to other parties were just exercising their freedom of choice.
Villarosa claimed that Nograles did not attend the party meeting two weeks ago since he was busy with his campaign in Davao City, but the speaker said he was not even invited.
Palace defends GMA over Lakas-Kampi woes
Deputy presidential spokesman Gary Olivar said President Arroyo should not be blamed for the problems of Lakas-Kampi.
He said Mrs. Arroyo wants the current party leaders to resolve the problems, including defections of key leaders.
Olivar also welcomed the news that Nograles has opted to stay with the party despite his complaints.
“If the Speaker eventually decides to stay in Lakas and in particular to support (administration standard-bearer former) Secretary (Gilbert) Teodoro, then the Speaker and the party leadership should be congratulated - one for keeping his word, the other for keeping it together,” Olivar said.
He referred to reports that former President Ramos and Pangasinan Rep. De Venecia were blaming Mrs. Arroyo, president emeritus of Lakas-Kampi, for the problems of the party.
“The President already made a decision and clarified her priorities: first is governance and the (electoral) campaign, including for herself, comes only second,” Olivar said.
He said the task of addressing the party issues would fall on the shoulders of its leaders.
“The party is there, they have a good leadership, they have good candidates and as I’ve mentioned before, whenever the President needs to be presidential, whenever she needs her presidential moments with the party, she does it,” he added.
Olivar, however, appealed to Lakas-Kampi members not to abandon the party or Teodoro.
“I will remind them that Secretary Teodoro, at the end of the day, does continue to be the candidate who most deserves the presidency,” he said. With Paolo Romero, Jess Diaz
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