Tuesday
OpinionA “Dark Horse†Presidentiable?
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Author: Jun Ariolo Aguirre (375 Articles)
Dateline LIBACAO
By: Alex E. Dionela
When almost every presidentiable is shying away to be identified with President GMA as it would mean a “kiss-of-death†on their political ambition Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, Jr. goes the opposite way by saying that he will only run for President in the forthcoming 2010 elections if he will be endorsed by Malacanang.
It could be recalled that earlier said official had already signified his intention to seek the presidency. He was probably inspired by the example set by then President Ramon Magsaysay who started his political career as a Congressman of Zambales then as Defense Secretary and thereafter as President of the Republic. Magsaysay was a mere mechanic and a college undergraduate but his good track record, his good public image and good public relations especially to the common man had enable him to earn so much votes that had catapulted him to Malacanang. With that he earned the moniker as, “Champion of the Massesâ€. Although Magsaysay’s administration was cut short by his fatal death in a plane crash yet he had not failed his people, the Filipino people that had continued to admire and respect him for what he had done to his country – a legacy of honest and sincere public service.
Defense Secretary Teodoro is considered a “dark horse†candidate for President because of the clear indications that he will be endorsed and supported by President GMA and the administration party of Lakas-CMD and Kampi although he belongs to the opposition Nationalist People’s Coalition, the political party of his uncle business tycoon Danding Cojuanco. With this hence, presidentiables like senators Chiz Escudero and Loren Legarda who had sought the support of Danding Cojuanco will now be relegated to run only for Vice President because naturally a good uncle will always support a worthy nephew. Besides, it is a public knowledge that Danding Cojuanco had immediately prepared his bright nephew become president of the country when Gilbert Teodoro, Jr. topped the bar in 1997.
Secretary Teodoro took his early education at Xavier School and obtained a degree in Management of Financial Institutions at De La Salle U and law at UP. He topped the bar with a rating of 86.185%. He practiced law for a couple of years then obtained his Masters in Law at Harvard U and passed the New York State Bar examinations in 1997. He was an undefeated Congressman of Tarlac for 3 consecutive terms before he was appointed Secretary of the Department of National Defense by President GMA. He was succeeded in congress by his beauteous wife Nikki Prieto-Teodoro who hails from Batangas but has relatives in Makati, Palawan, Sorsogon and Pototan, Iloilo.
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