US newspaper lauds Teodoro for swift action on Maguindanao carnage

MANILA, Philippines - A United States-based newspaper lauded ex-defense chief and Lakas-Kampi-CMD presidential bet Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro for his swift action in averting the breakout of hostilities in the aftermath of the Ampatuan massacre, a carnage that triggered worldwide condemnation.

The murder of 57 people in Maguindanao last Nov. 23 has thrust the former defense chief into a position where his leadership in peace and order was put to test, it said.

In the online edition of the Wall Street Journal late last month, the newspaper’s opinion editor Brett Decker pointed out that except for Teodoro, none of the frontrunners in the 2010 presidential derby has shown a solid background in law and order.

“There is… a possibility that continued erosion of safety in the streets could propel a dark-horse candidate to the top of the pack. One beneficiary would be former Defense Secretary Gilberto ‘Gibo’ Teodoro Jr.,” wrote Decker.

Teodoro resigned from the Cabinet last Nov. 17 and was proclaimed standard-bearer of the Lakas-Kampi-CMD for the May 2010 elections.

Decker pointed to a “serious potential for escalation of the violence outside of clan warfare” and warned that “Islamist militias could step into the local power vacuum in Central Mindanao after the hostility between warring supporters of President Arroyo erupted into violence last Nov. 23.”

He said the volatile situation underscored the need for a leader competent in handling law and order problem.

A 1989 bar topnotcher and Harvard-trained lawyer, Teodoro is emerging as the Filipinos’ choice, after becoming a techno-savvy group’s top presidential choice during a simulated election done by Facebook wherein he gained 58.69 percent rating.

Results of the Facebook Election 2010 survey as of Nov. 30 showed Teodoro pulling away from his closest contender, Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, who got a rating of 31.90 percent; Sen. Manny Villar with 5.40 percent; and Estrada with 1.45 percent.

Last week, Teodoro initiated the expulsion from the ruling party of the three Ampatuan leaders, including their patriarch, Maguindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan Sr.

Voting unanimously, the party’s executive committee supported Teodoro and threw out the Ampatuans, whose members were later charged as primary suspects in the massacre by the Justice department.

Teodoro later flew to Maguindanao to accompany Esmael Mangudadatu when the latter filed his certificate of candidacy for governor in Maguindanao as the official Lakas-Kampi-CMD candidate.

He also urged for deployment of more troops in the region and an enforcement of an early gun ban in Maguindanao and other known hot spots ahead of the official election period to prevent more politically instigated violence.

He has also offered his services for free as lawyer for the families and heirs of the victims.

Lakas-Kampi-CMD national president Gov. Miguel Rene Dominguez said Teodoro has demonstrated the kind of leadership he has in dealing with a crisis.

“The ability to think of solutions to problems concerning peace and order is an acid test of leadership. Gibo has proven that when he spearheaded the call for the immediate arrest of those responsible in the massacre that would lead to the stabilization of the crisis,” Dominguez, also governor of Sarangani, said.

He pointed out that Teodoro’s appeals prompted the government to crack down on the Ampatuan clan, tagged by witnesses as the mastermind behind the carnage. – Jaime Laude