From the
Philippine Daily Inquirer.
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MANILA, Philippines – Gilbert Teodoro found himself in the hot seat at a youth forum Friday when he and other presidential candidates were asked whether they would make President Macapagal-Arroyo accountable for anything anomalous that happened in her administration.
At the forum at the De La Salle University (DLSU)-Manila campus, moderator Ted Failon asked the presidential hopefuls: “Is there something for which President Arroyo should be held accountable? How should she be made accountable?”
At first, Teodoro, the administration presidential candidate, hesitated to give an answer, saying his previous working relationship with the President bars him from doing so.
“Just think about it, if I participate (in efforts to prosecute her), people would say ‘lulutuin mo lang’ (you’ll just fix it.) If I don’t participate, people would say I did not work for justice,” said Teodoro, who resigned as defense secretary to run in the May elections.
“In the end, anyone with reason to file a case against her should just do it. I should not interfere,” he added.
Failon reminded Teodoro that he and seven other presidential candidates—Senators Benigno Aquino III, Richard Gordon, Jamby Madrigal and Manny Villar, Olongapo Councilor JC de los Reyes, environmentalist Nicanor Perlas and preacher Eddie Villanueva—were required to answer “yes” or “no” to the question.
The eight were guests at the ANC-Youth 2010 Boto Para Sa Pagbabago forum held on the DLSU campus on Taft Avenue in Manila.
Teodoro took a deep breath before answering.
Familiar turf
“If I say ‘yes,’ I might be accused of riding on the popular sentiment against a party mate and former boss in the Cabinet. If I say ‘no,’ I would be depriving myself of the objectivity I need as President,” he replied. Cheers erupted afterward.
That Teodoro was in familiar turf apparently helped. Teodoro is a DLSU alumnus.
Madrigal, who answered “a resounding ‘yes”’ when asked whether she would make Ms Arroyo accountable, was apparently unsatisfied with Teodoro’s answer.
In the portion where all candidates were allowed to ask each other questions, Madrigal asked Teodoro whether he would recognize his debt of gratitude (utang na loob) to Ms Arroyo.
“Utang na loob means paying goodness with goodness. But if it’s otherwise, nothing is worth staining my reputation,” Teodoro answered in Filipino and English.
“So, did the President shower you with goodness?” Madrigal retorted.
“If you are given goodness, you pay back with goodness,” he said.
Justice to victims
“But would you give justice to the victims of the administration? Or would you adhere to party loyalty?” Madrigal shot back.
“Justice should prevail,” Teodoro said. “We have a judicial process and it should be observed.”
Failon cut the discussion at this point.
Ms Arroyo has been accused of stealing the 2004 presidential election, of corruption, of human rights violations and of other scandals the latest and most notable being the NBN-ZTE $329-M deal which Ms Arroyo later aborted
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Gibo does have a point though. He's in a no-win situation. Whether he answers yes or no, his opponents will have a way to attack him on his answer. Too bad that his connection with the administration will probably drag him down no matter what his qualifications are.
Read the full story
here.
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