Gibo to seek Pastor Quiboloy's ‘blessings’ Thursday

Administration presidential bet Gilberto "Gibo" Teodoro, Jr. is set to meet with influential religious leader Apollo “Pastor Q" Quiboloy in Davao City on Thursday, the administration party’s spokesperson said. Zambales Rep. Mitos Magsaysay told GMANews.TV in a phone interview that Quiboloy, founder of religious group Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC), invited Teodoro to visit the organization’s prayer mountain in Mt. Apo in Davao City on Thursday morning. Teodoro is also scheduled to have a one-on-one interview with Quiboloy later in the day, according to Magsaysay. The Lakas-Kampi-CMD spokesperson said Teodoro would be “very lucky" to get the blessing of Quiboloy, whose KJC had a total of two million registered voters during the 2007 elections. "Gibo was invited to go there. He will be very lucky if he gets the Pastor’s blessings, and if his followers will vote as one during the elections," she told GMANews.TV in a phone interview. Quiboloy, who heads several charitable institutions under the umbrella movement called "Sonshine Philippines," is a supporter of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, whose administration, according to the religious leader, "has been blessed." In Malacañang, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, chairman of the advisory board of Lakas-Kampi-CMD, said the administration would welcome the support of any group. He said they hope they could also get the endorsement of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), a large religious group that practices bloc voting. An INC endorsement could rake in 1.5 million to two million votes for Teodoro. "If indeed they believe in the administration and its capacity to move our country forward and move towards progress, it is very significant for the candidacy of the administration. We I hope we get it because that's very significant," Ermita said. Teodoro, a former lawmaker and Defense secretary, has not been performing well in surveys, placing only fourth at the highest. - KBK, GMANews.TV