A Palace spokesman said Thursday that, contrary to claims by critics of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, her endorsement of the candidacies of former Cabinet officials and other allies in the ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD was not a “kiss of death," since a number of them did well in the just-concluded May 10 polls. 'Lakas candidates seem to be doing decently,'' Presidential Spokesperson Ricardo Saludo said, referring to a number of former members of her Cabinet who won or are leading in the local elections. He mentioned former Public Works secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. who was recently proclaimed winner in the Zambales gubernatorial race, and former Presidential Assistant and head of Subic-Clark Alliance Development Council Edgardo Pamintuan who won as Angeles City mayor. Other administration stalwarts also won Lower House seats in their respective districts, namely:
• former Budget secretary Rolando Andaya Jr. in Camarines Sur’s first district; • former Technical Education and Skills Development Authority secretary Augusto Syjuco in Iloilo’s second district; • former Press undersecretary and deputy presidential spokesman Anthony Golez , in Bacolod City’s lone district; and • former Agriculture secretary Arthur Yap, in Bohol’s third district.
On the other hand, other former Cabinet officials and key Congressional allies who joined various electoral races admittedly lagged behind. These include:
• former Cabinet secretary Silvestre Bello III, who ran for senator but is on 31st spot; • former Presidential Management Staff secretary Hermogenes Esperon Jr., who ran for a Lower House seat in Pangasinan’s 6th district but is now trailing Marlyn Primicias-Agabas; • former Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, who ran for Congress in the 1st district of Batangas but is now behind Tomas Apacible; • former Justice secretary Agnes Devanadera, who ran for a Lower House seat in Quezon’s 1st district but is behind leading candidate Wilfrido Enverga; • former Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Raul Gonzalez, who was trailing Jed Patrick Mabilog in Iloilo City’s mayoral race; and • former House Speaker Prospero Nograles has lost the Davao City mayoral race to newly-proclaimed mayor-elect Sara Z. Duterte.
Saludo did not mention the most obvious case, that of administration standard-bearer Gilberto Teodoro Jr. who placed a poor fourth in the presidential race behind Sen. Benigno Aquino III, ex-President Joseph Estrada, and Senator Manuel Villar Jr.
—JV, GMANews.TV 
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