It looks like the province that gave President Arroyo a clear mandate in the 2004 presidential elections is placing its bet on former Defense Secretary Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro Jr.

The influential Vice Mayor’s League of the Philippines, through its chief legal counsel Carlos Fortuna, has assured that Cebu will deliver one million votes to the standard-bearer of the ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD.

In a statement released by the administration party, Fortuna, vice mayor of Mandaue City, said: “Mandaue and Cebu can give Gibo one million votes in the elections.”

“Our people like Gibo for his intelligence, integrity and leadership style,” he added, following a visit, the second in as many weeks, by the administration presidential candidate to the country’s most populous province.

During Teodoro’s first visit to Cebu, his presidential bid was endorsed by One Cebu Party headed by Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, who said the former Cabinet officials “is hands-down the best choice among the presidential frontrunners to lead the country.”

She said Cebuanos see Teodoro — a bar topnotcher and a Harvard-trained lawyer — as the “most competent and qualified presidential bet” in the 2010 elections.

She added that Teodoro “best represents One Cebu Party’s ideals of competence and excellence in public service.”

The lady governor is a scion of the politically powerful Garcia clan, and her One Cebu Party wields the biggest political clout in the province.

The local party’s endorsement of Teodoro’s presidential candidacy represented a major political gain for the ruling party’s standard-bearer in the province, which gave Mrs. Arroyo a decisive edge in the closely contested 2004 presidential elections. Cebu has the most number of voters of the country’s 80 provinces.

Mrs. Arroyo mustered 1.185 million votes in Cebu City and the entire province. She ultimately won the national canvassing by a little more than a million votes over the late actor Fernando Poe Jr.

Meanwhile, Teodoro said Malacañang should submit to Congress a report containing the factual basis and justification for the imposition of martial law in Maguindanao province.

“Within 48 hours from the proclamation of martial law or the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus, the President shall submit a report in person or in writing to the Congress,” said Teodoro.

“We eagerly await, with the rest of the country, President Arroyo’s submission of a report to Congress that will justify such act. The report must also indicate the facts that prompted the need to impose martial law in Maguindanao,” said Mrs. Arroyo’s former defense secretary.

Teodoro was a three-term congressman before his appointment as head of the Department of National Defense in 2006.