Palace sees hike in Gibo's rating

MALACAÑANG on Sunday expressed confidence of a major ratings jump for administration bet Gilbert Teodoro by the end of February, the first month of the campaign period for the May 2010 election.

This came after reports said Teodoro is currently trailing opposition heavyweights Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino and Senator Manuel "Manny" Villar Jr. in presidential surveys conducted by independent pollsters Pulse Asia and Social Weather Stations (SWS).

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"We are hopeful that by end of February there will be a significant increase in the rating of Secretary Gibo Teodoro," Palace spokesman Cerge Remonde said in radio interview.

In a December 27-28 SWS survey commissioned by a Villar ally - San Juan Representative Ronaldo Zamora - Teodoro had only five percent of the 2,100 respondents declaring they would vote for him.

Aquino kept the lead with 44 percent, followed by Villar's 33 percent and deposed President Joseph Estrada's 15 percent.

Remonde also claimed Teodoro will enjoy another plus: a "built-in" advantage of up to 25 percent of the votes to be delivered by the administration party's political machinery.

The failure for the opposition to rally behind a sole candidate would also take its toll as nine of the 10 candidates approved by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) are considered "non-administration," Remonde remarked.

"The opposition is divided while the administration has one candidate. Now there are 10 candidates the Comelec allowed to run for president. Of the 10, nine are non-administration," Remonde said.

He added that Teodoro's consistent "excellent performance" in different debates whether broadcasted or not is proof that the former defense chief and Harvard-educated lawyer is a candidate to reckon with.

Administration stalwart Speaker Prospero Nograles agreed saying, "the administration has solid grassroots support and wide political machinery."

Teodoro repeatedly said that surveys are just measures of popularity with no bearing on his campaign strategy of focusing on the party's bailiwicks and the youth vote.

The official campaign period starts in February 9.

What, 25 percent?

But for political analyst Ramon Casiple, executive director of the Institute for Political and Economic Reform (Iper), the administration bet will face an uphill climb in improving his survey ratings.

"Where will the 25 percent come from? Surveys command a 100 percent coverage of the voters, including the administration areas," Casiple told Sun.Star in a text message.

He added that Teodoro has to convince the public that he is the best candidate for a shift in preference to occur.

"He needs to attract public support now more than ever. He has to convince current supporters of the leading candidates to defect to his side," he said.

Pundits and even Senate majority leader and administration party Lakas-Kampi-CMD's vice president for Mindanao Juan Miguel Zubiri admitted Teodoro's ties with Malacañang are hurting his chances.

Six months before bowing out from power, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo still got a failing mark as her net satisfaction rating remained "bad" at -38 in the last quarter.

Three out of five Filipinos were dissatisfied with her performance, according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.

The Fourth Quarter 2009 Social Weather Survey conducted last December 5-10 showed that 23 percent of the respondents were satisfied and 62 percent were not, for a net satisfaction rating of -38. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)