Teodoro: No mudslinging between me and Noynoy

As far as Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. is concerned, there will be no mudslinging between him and his second cousin Senator Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III in the upcoming presidential campaign. Aquino is expected to be the standard bearer of the Liberal Party while Teodoro is still courting the nod of Lakas-Kampi-CMD. Yet this early, the defense chief said he does not expect the presidential race between him and the senator to get dirty if he gets chosen as the administration party's presidential bet. "Magpinsan kami [and] after we entered Congress at the same time, naging magkaibigan kami (We are cousins and we became friends after we entered Congress at the same time)," Teodoro said in a press conference after his meeting with Lakas-Kampi-CMD congressmen in Quezon City. The mother of Teodoro is a first cousin of Noynoy's mother, the late Philippine leader and democracy icon Corazon Cojuangco Aquino. The two presidential aspirants are both nephews of business tycoon Eduardo Cojuangco Jr., founder of the Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC). Teodoro served as representative of Tarlac's first district for three terms from 1998 to 2007. Aquino, meanwhile, represented Tarlac's second district during the same nine-year period.

"Hindi kami mag-aaway dahil sa pulitika (We will not fight because of politics)," said Teodoro, adding that he also expects Aquino not to take their "professional" competition to a personal level. For his part, House Speaker Prospero Nograles said the possible square-off between Teodoro and Aquino - which he said was dubbed the "Battle of Tarlac" - is bound to be "a very exciting match." Noli out of the options? During the breakfast meeting, 85 congressmen allied with the Arroyo administration signed a manifesto of endorsement and support for Teodoro as Lakas-Kampi-CMD's standard bearer. Aside from Teodoro, the party is also considering as its presidential candidate Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chairman Bayani Fernando and Vice President Noli de Castro. But while Fernando has openly courted the party's nomination, De Castro has kept mum on his political plans for 2010. Nograles, who is also Lakas-Kampi-CMD's executive vice chair, said De Castro's silence makes it apparent that the party would only be choosing between Teodoro and Fernando. "I don't think you can ever land a job unless you fill out an application form," Nograles said in the same press conference when asked about De Castro's status in the selection process. Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez, the party's senior deputy secretary general, told reporters that he also doesn't think De Castro is inclined to seek the country's highest post in 2010. He likewise said the party is most likely to choose between Teodoro and Fernando. The manifesto signed by the administration congressmen will "put a heavy weight on the consideration" of the party's standard bearer on Wednesday at their executive committee meeting, added Suarez. - GMANews.TV