Presidential Election 2010

Vice President RONNIE PUNO

The other half of the Lakas-Kampi-CMD Dream Team

 By ROGER M. BALANZA

The administration party’s search for the Dream Team in the coming 2010 polls may have been partly realized with the announcement last month by Local Government Secretary Ronnie Puno that he will seek the nomination of the Lakas-Kampi-CMD’s vice presidential bet.

          At the rate party mates met Puno’s surprise announcement with excitement, the otherwise unexciting search for the party’s vice presidential bet has suddenly turned, well, exciting.

The applause and show of support for Puno during last month’s party caucus of the administration party was so overwhelming that an exuberant party mate almost succeeded in having the DILG chief’s bid affirmed as a party decision in a vote.

But playing fair, Puno, who is now co-vice chairman of Lakas-Kampi-CMD, himself stopped Rep. Rodolfo Antonino from making such a motion. Puno wanted to play the game by the rules

(Was it in deference to indecisive Vice President Noli de Castro and the overly unexciting MMDA chief Bayani Fernando—both seeking the party presidential slot—who were present in the caucus?)

De Castro and Fernando maybe expected to slide down to the Number Two slot if Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro—now in the lead in the race for the Lakas-Kampi-CMD standard bearer–gets the nod of the party to lead the team in the May polls.

Puno, however, stopped Antonino from putting an end to the party’s search for the vice presidential choice saying he did not want to preempt the future decisions of the merged party and that he would abide by whatever choices the party would make with regard to its national candidates in the 2010 polls.

But Puno, in his speech, said he was ready for the battle with his experience as the man who was behind the campaigns of several presidents.

“My expertise is in public service, as a background public official. I have always been known as a campaign manager rather than a candidate. But with the experience and loyalty I showed everyone that I served, I will be able to help the next president lead this country beyond 2010 into continued prosperity.” How? Well, by being vice president!

Puno indeed has the competence, acute political sense and deep commitment to continue the reform agenda of President Arroyo, who is responsible for the nonstop growth of the domestic economy even during the current global downturn.

Puno’s announcement during the Lakas-Kampi-CMD caucus has created a domino effect that beefed up his desire to run for the country’s number two post.

Party stalwarts in fact are now egging Puno to take a crack at the party second top post, with the other hopefuls less qualified to be a capable leader to represent the party’s values and interests in the next Government. 

Puno has demonstrated the focus, resolve and commitment necessary to ensure continuity of the national development policies and programs laid down by the Arroyo administration which could be ensured by his competence and astute political sense.

 

And who could be the other half of the DREAM TEAM? If we are made to choose, we would bat for Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro.

 

Teodoro and Benigno both have the experience to run a government. They are also squeaky clean in so far as involvement in graft and corruption and other omissions that could be used as political issues by the opposition. If truth be there in the myriad of charges leveled against the administration, an Arroyo-backed Teodoro-Puno tandem would leave the opposition holding dud bombshells to fire at them—being angels unsoiled by the graft charges against the president.

Teodoro, properly packaged as a presidential bet could be a surefire winner if backed by the awesome machinery of the Lakas-Kampi-CMD. Of course, Teodoro needs Puno—not only to run the campaign machinery, but also to help him run the government, as vice president, after the May 2010 elections.