The youth go for Gibo

The results of the mock presidential election held by the University of Sto. Tomas is out. It is no longer surprising that former Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro topped the mock elections participated in by more than 13,000 students with 32.5 percent of the “votes” since he has emerged number in all surveys conducted in various schools around the country.

Some people were initially astonished by the results of the mock elections among students of the Ateneo de Manila University which many people expected to go overwhelmingly for Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III. After all, Aquino went to the Ateneo from prep school to college and many of the Jesuits are close to the Aquino family.

But no the choice of Ateneo students was Gibo who is also Jesuit-trained, having gone to the Jesuit-run Xavier School from grade school to high school

La Salle also went for Gibo. Although Teodoro is a La Sallian (he took his bachelor’s degree there) the more vocal members of the order of Christian Brothers which run La Salle are supporting Aquino. La Salle students, however, have made their choice clear: Gibo.

Gibo also edged out Senator Manuel Villar and Aquino in the University of the Philippines (UP). Topping the mock elections in UP is significant especially since his rivals’ propagandists had tried to put him down as the presidential candidate of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. The students of UP, the most progressive among the country’s school, however still chose Teodoro perhaps recognizing his edge in qualifications and training over the other presidentiables.

The most surprising support for Teodoro among students was the one he got from the Holy Angel University. Aquino, a fluent Pampango speaker and who is considered a native son of Pampanga was expected to top the mock elections in the school. The vote, was overwhelmingly for Teodoro who had a 2-1 lead over Aquino.

The social networking sites which youth icon Senator Chiz Escudero used to dominate when he was still in the running for president is now Teodoro’s turf. Various online presidential polls and those conducted over the leading social networking sites favor Gibo over his rivals by wide margins.

In the Philippines, the Internet is dominated by the youth and perhaps the overwhelming approval he is getting in the Internet is a recognition by the youth of the youngest major presidential contender who enjoys a clear edge over his rivals in terms of achievements (number 1 in the 1989 Bar exams, outstanding youth leader, exceptional congressman etc.) and in terms of solid and lucid programs of government.

Apparently, the overwhelmingly clear support by the youth sector is not being captured by the survey results put out by the major polling organizations like Social Weather Station and Pulse Asia.

Whether reflected on the surveys or not, the youth support for Gibo will spell the difference in the May 10 elections.

Young voters make up about half of the country’s 50 million or so voters and the intensity and total dedication that the youth gives to their candidate of choice will be felt in the presidential race.

“The youth are out-of-the-box thinkers,” explains former Press Secretary lawyer Mike Toledo who is now Teodoro’s spokesman and director of the G1BO Media Bureau.

He explains that the youth are apparently attracted by Gibo’s master plan for sustained growth and lasting peace as laid out in his “Sulong Pilipinas” platform, that comprises education reform, health care, food security, environmental protection, continuation of the public infrastructure build-up and a tough stance against crime and terrorism.

He said that they expected Teodoro’s rating to register double digits in the March surveys of the major polling firms. This expected good survey performance will be complemented by the 15 percent of votes they expect to be delivered by the formidable Lakas-Kampi-CMD machinery. –Alvin Capino, Manila Standard Today