Another Lakas stalwart to move to LP, Noynoy says

CEBU CITY, Philippines - An administration stalwart will soon bolt the Lakas-Kampi-CMD party to join the Liberal Party (LP), Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III bared Tuesday. Aquino, LP’s standard bearer in the May 10 elections, said the supposed defector, whom he did not identify, would join their campaign next week. “Next week magugulat kayo, isa sa mga stalwart ng kasalukuyang administrasyon sasama sa kampanya natin. Pero pakiusap ko huwag natin banggitin muna," Aquino said at a press conference here. (Next week you will be surprised, one of the stalwarts of the current administration will join our campaign. But let's not mention any names yet.) He said the person was not an ardent supporter of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo despite being a member of the administration party, which has been rocked by defections lately. "Ito ay pumapalag from time to time maski member ng Lakas. Di naman yung mga baluktot pinupuri at pinipilit maging tuwid (This person had criticized the President despite being a member of the administration party)," Aquino said. Abandon ship On Monday, House Senior Deputy Majority Leader and Mandaluyong City Rep. Neptali Gonzales II took his oath as an LP member after bolting Lakas-Kampi-CMD. Before him, Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr., who is running for a House seat, also left the administration to be with LP. Other administration stalwarts who abandoned Lakas-Kampi-CMD had moved to the Nacionalista Party (NP), which is fielding Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. in the presidential race. These include former Ilocos Sur Governor Luis "Chavit" Singson and Bukidnon Governor Jose Zubiri. Still for Gibo Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, however, maintained that the province remains "firmly committed" behind administration standard bearer Gilberto "Gibo" Teodoro Jr. despite his lackluster performance in various presidential surveys. Cebu, with two million registered voters, is the richest province in the country in terms of votes. "One Cebu stands firmly committed to Gilbert ‘Gibo’ Teodoro for the presidency," Garcia said in an interview, referring to the province’s ruling party that she said includes four out of six incumbent congressmen. She said One Cebu’s support for Teodoro is unwavering despite the defections rocking the administration party. Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmena’s had earlier said that Aquino is leading in the province. "Once we give our word we stand by our word," she said when asked if her support for Teodoro has wavered after the defections of Lakas-Kampi-CMD officials. Garcia is running for re-election against Hilario “Jun" Davide III, son of former Supreme Court chief justice Hilario Davide Jr. The former magistrate is campaigning with Aquino and other national and local candidates of the LP. - KBK/RSJ, GMANews.TV