Gibo’s camp counting on LGUs in ‘solid North’

The camp of administration party presidential bet Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said on Friday that they believe they will get the “solid" support of local government officials and voters from provinces in the northern Philippine regions. Lawyer Mike Toledo, Teodoro’s spokesperson, told GMANews.TV that their camp is confident of capturing votes from Northern Luzon, particularly the Ilocano vote, despite former Ilocos Sur Governor Luis “Chavit" Singson’s statements that leaders from the province are undecided whether or not to support Teodoro. (See: Ilocos Sur leaders still unsure of supporting Gibo, Chavit claims) “Our local government support is really strong in the solid North. Several governors and a host of other mayors have already said they are for Gibo," Toledo said in a phone interview Friday. He added that since Teodoro, who hails from Tarlac, can converse in fluent Ilocano, he can easily win votes from the predominantly Ilocano-speaking regions of the North. Toledo likewise said that Teodoro is taking his campaign to some provinces in Northern Luzon and the Cordillera Administrative Region this weekend. Teodoro spoke on Friday before students and athletes from the Ilocos Norte Athletic Association and the Don Mariano Marcos University in La Union, which Toledo said was still part of their campaign “to capture the youth vote." The Lakas-Kampi-CMD standard-bearer is likewise set to speak during the opening of a trade fair in La Union, and to meet with local officials from Ilocos Sur on Saturday, according to Toledo. Teodoro will also tour Baguio City and participate in the closing ceremonies of the Flower Festival on Sunday, Toledo said. The administration party won by landslide in the provinces of Ilocos Sur and Benguet, including Baguio City, during the 2004 national elections. The incumbent governor of Ilocos Sur, Deogracias Victor Savellana, and the representative of the lone district of Baguio City, Mauricio Domogan, are both from the administration party.—JV, GMANews.TV