Gibo wants out of politics if he loses race

Administration party bet Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said on Thursday that he would like to stay out of politics and refuse any offers of a Cabinet post if he loses in the presidential race. In a forum with members of the Makati Business Club (MBC), Teodoro said he would no longer want to be in government “if the unfortunate happens," since he has already been in politics for the past thirty years. “I’ve started in politics at the age of 15, and I think I can be in public service without being in government anymore," he said. Teodoro, standard-bearer of the administration party Lakas-Kampi-CMD, was elected as Kabataang Barangay president in his home province, Tarlac, in 1980 when he was still 16 years old. (See: Administration bet Teodoro is rich, politically connected) He added that he would want to have “freedom" to pursue his advocacies as a private citizen after years in public service, based on “what I think the country needs without the strictures of government." Teodoro said however that if he is elected as the country’s chief executive, he would be open to appointing some of his erstwhile rivals in the presidential race. “It depends on the circumstances. I am open working with the most competent person at a particular time and at a particular case," he said. Teodoro also chose not to reveal his choice of Cabinet officials if he becomes the next president. In an earlier forum, however, Teodoro had said that he would like to keep current Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral and Industry Secretary Peter Favila in his Cabinet if he is elected to the presidency. Reform the bureaucracy In the MBC forum, Teodoro also said that he would want to reform the bureaucracy under his administration. The former defense secretary said he has observed that some of country’s current departments have become a “cadre of degree holders and examination passers without institutional knowledge in particular areas they manage." “I have always observed that we have a degree-oriented and examination-centered civil service which does not take into account the special nuances and the need for non-degree expertise in certain jobs," he said. Teodoro said that he would reform the bureaucracy using a “two-step process" which will involve both the national and local levels “while keeping the integrity of the Civil Service Commission." “We have to reform this bureaucracy because it is a major influence in our economic growth. Permits are granted and decisions and policies are made in the bureaucracy with effects on all levels of government," he said.—JV, GMANews.TV