Gibo tops media mock polls tsk, tsk

BEHIND THE SCENES
Alfred P. Dizon

BAGUIO CITY -- The result of mock elections recently conducted by the Baguio Correspondents and Broadcasters Club on their choice of this Banana Republic’s next leaders was revealing.

If administration candidate Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. topped the presidential race, maybe, it was because of the sizable number of government workers in the BCBC. But then again, it might have been the other way.

It need not be interpreted as the BCBC lacking in political maturity or intelligence considering they are members of the Fourth Estate and are supposed to be more nationalistic or informed about the country’s affairs.

After all, most citizens of this blighted country vote on the basis of affiliations, family ties, self-interest or money and the mock polls was not reflective of the nation’s choice.

You see, most of the time, I meet people and conversation crops up on whom they would vote for in the coming polls and two candidates crop up -- Noynoy Aquino and Manny Villar. A sizable number agree that Gibo is the right man for the job, but their concern is his links with President Macapagal Arroyo.
***
Anyhow, aside from administration candidate Gibo, Liberal Party’s Manuel Mar Roxas III topped the vice presidential race in the polls held simultaneous with the election of the group’s new set of officers for this year at the Philippine Information Agency office near the Presidential Mansion here.

Out of the 99 Baguio and Benguet-based mediamen who cast their votes for the election of the new set of officers of the largest media organization in Baguio, only 60 members participated in the mock elections.

Based on the mock election results, Teodoro got 19 votes while LP’s standard bearer “Noynoy” Aquino came in second with 14 votes. Nationalista Party’s Manuel Villar landed third with 13 votes, Brother Eddie Villanueva of Bangon Pilipinas and Richard Gordon of Bagumbayan had three votes each while environmentalist Nicanor Perlas received two.
***
For the vice-presidential race, Roxas got 32 votes while Sen. Loren Legarda got 19. Former Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman Bayani Fernando had eight while actor Edu Manzano, Makati City Mayor Jojemar Binay and former Philippine Stock Exchange Chairman Perfecto Yassay garnered one vote each.

In the race for the top 12 slots in the Senate, former Senate President Franklin Drilon, Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr.re-electionist Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile and retired Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim topped the list with 11 votes each.
***
Cabinet Secretary Silvestre Bello III had nine; former Sen. Ralph Recto and lawyer Raul Lambino got eight each; re-electionist Sen. Pilar Juliana Cayetano and Sonia Roco, wife of the late senator and Education Secretary Raul Roco, received seven each; Mandaluyong Rep. Ruffy Biazon, son of Senator Rufino Biazon, had six while re-electionist Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Cavite Rep. Gilbert Remulla, former Senator Sergio Osmena III and lawyer Adel Tamano got five each.

Those who voted for Gibo claimed they were convinced by his outstanding performance as former Defense Secretary, especially in attending to the needs of victims of the recent onslaught of Typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng in most parts of Northern Luzon, as well as his performances in debates among presidentiables.
***
In Baguio’s congressional race, incumbent mayor Reinaldo A. Bautista had 17 followed by former congressman and mayor Bernardo M. Vergara who received 11 while councilor Rocky Thomas Balisong garnered six.

For the city’s mayoralty race, incumbent Rep. Mauricio G. Domogan received 26 while his arch rival lawyer Jose Molintas had 11. Businessman Mark Go got four votes while councilor Elaine Sembrano got one.

In the vice-mayoralty race, incumbent vice-mayor Daniel T. Farinas led the way with 28 over former councilor Faustino Olowan, who nearly beat him in the May 2007 elections for the same position. Olowan had only six votes.

For councilor, educator Sonia Daoas, wife of former National Commission on Indigenous Peoples chairman David “Annab” Daoas came out on top. I told her this could be good luck in her quest for a seat in the city council. Lawyer Jose “Bubut” Olarte who had been spearheading concerts for a cause for poor local folk with terminal ailments also got a sizable number of votes.

The incumbent councilors, I guess will have to sweat it out following the series of media exposes on their aborted deal with a Korean to privatize and develop the Athletic Bowl for a measly rent of P100,000 a month over around eight hectares of the area, facilities and all.