Bayani sore over party's attention to Noli, Gibo

MANILA, Philippines - The Lakas-Kampi-CMD party is barely one day old but one of its prospective presidential contender is already feeling sore about not getting attention the same way compared to party "outsiders." In a radio interview Thursday, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Bayani Fernando questioned some members of the newly merged party for floating Vice President Manuel “Noli" de Castro Jr. and Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. as administration presidential contenders. "Hindi fair yun sa magkapartido. Umaasa ang partido ng katapatan ng kanyang mga miyembro [at] ganoon din ang isang myembro, naghahanap siya at umaasa siya sa katapatan ng partido sa kanya [It’s not fair to a party insider. If a party expects loyalty from its members, it’s only fair that its members expect a degree of loyalty from the party]," Fernando said in an interview on dwIZ radio. Fernando is a member of Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats, which merged with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi) to form Lakas-Kampi-CMD. Incidentally, Fernando did not attend the merger ceremonies at the Manila Hotel Thursday. He pointed out de Castro, though he ran as Mrs. Arroyo’s running mate in 2004, is an "independent" who has no party affiliation, while Teodoro is with the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC). Teodoro recently resigned from the NPC, which is headed by his uncle, business tycoon Eduardo Cojuangco. Surveys The MMDA chairman has fared poorly in presidential surveys while De Castro consistently figures at the top. Fernando said he had already brought up this point before his party mates. "Alam nila ang pangunahing patakaran na yan. Otherwise walang saysay ang magkaroon ng partido, kahit sino ang pwedeng pumasok sa oras na naisin nila [They know the principle. There is no point in putting up a party that entertains outsiders before it entertains its own]," he said. During the merger ceremonies, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez, a party stalwart, said the administration standard bearer would be among De Castro, Teodoro and Fernando. Gonzalez, however, noted a slight advantage for Teodoro among party mates although no one has been chosen yet. "We still have to choose," Gonzalez told a television interview. - GMANews.TV