MANILA -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s plan to resign as national chairman of Lakas-Kampi-CMD is simply party tradition, “passing the torch” to the party’s standard bearer, a Palace official said Saturday.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, Lakas-Kampi-CMD’s candidate for president, will be quitting his Cabinet post effective November 15, 2009.

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Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said Saturday that Arroyo’s resignation as national chairman is due to reasons of practicality and tradition.

“Among others, she has to pass the torch of leadership to (Defense) Secretary (Gilbert) Teodoro. Second, it is the tradition at Lakas that whoever will be standard bearer also becomes head of the party,” he said.

The Palace clarification came after Representative Carmelo Lazatin told a national newspaper Friday that Arroyo is quitting as Lakas head during a closed-door meeting held at the Fontana Convention Center in Clark Freeport Zone.

Present at the meeting were Lazatin, Malacañang External Affairs Secretary Edgardo Pamintuan, and Mabalacat Mayor Marino Morales.

“She said she felt she was not contributing positively to the candidacy of Teodoro so it would be better for her to resign and give way to younger leaders,” Lazatin said.

The meeting lasted for about an hour and happened after the opening of the three-day 2nd National Information and Communication Technology Confederation of the Philippines at Fontana, where the President was guest speaker.

Remonde clarified that the President is merely turning over the party leadership to Teodoro but is not quitting from the merged political party.

Arroyo herself formed the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi) party, which later merged with Lakas Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) to form the Lakas-Kampi-CMD coalition.

The merged party, chaired by the President, was accredited as a political party by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on September 29, 2009 despite legal questions from some Lakas stalwarts.

Remonde also downplayed claims that Arroyo was quitting as head of the administration party because she felt she was not contributing to Teodoro’s candidacy.

Arroyo’s critics had repeatedly said her endorsements for administration candidates are equivalent to a political kiss of death. They cited the poor showing of her senatorial bets in the 2004 and 2007 elections.

Remonde said they have prepared replacements not only for Teodoro but also for other Cabinet members who may quit because they will run in 2010.

“We have discussed replacements for Teodoro but until the appointment is announced, the decisions are not final. We have discussed the matter and we are ready to replace any Cabinet member who will leave for one reason or another,” Remonde said on government-run dzRB radio.

The Palace has already replaced Cabinet members who resigned from their posts to focus on their political bids.

He said changes in the Cabinet will be more like musical chairs than an overhaul, saying they will try to get replacements from within the ranks of the Cabinet.

“Changes in the Cabinet will not necessarily mean new faces. It is practical that as much as possible, we get those from the ranks so there will be no need for adjustment,” he said.

The Press Secretary also denied speculations that Arroyo is quitting as party president so she can run for a congressional seat in 2010.

The political opposition said the President is planning to run for a congressional seat in her home province, Pampanga. Arroyo has made 47 visits to Pampanga since January this year. (JMR/Sunnex)