Lakas-Kampi CMD standard bearer Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. Thursday warned the voting populace not to be deceived by candidates with “messianic” complex who promise quick fix solutions on the country’s social and economic problems once they get elected into office.

Teodoro also urged voters, particularly those from the younger generation, not to be swayed by popularity or connections of some candidates in obtaining their support to ensure victory for an elective position.

“If those candidates would come to you one day and tell you that they can solve all the ills besetting the country, provided you vote for them, don’t believe them and don’t vote for them as they are lying. No such politician can do that,” Teodoro said.

The 45-year-old former defense secretary issued the statement before students of the University of the Visayas in Cebu where he was invited as guest speaker.

Consistent with his statements on his platform of government, Teodoro said that a sincere candidate would instead assure the voters that his team of advisers will try their very best in uplifting their plight than making bold declarations that they are the key solutions to the country’s economic and social ills.

A true leader, he added, will also help in easing the problems so that the next set of leaders will have an easier task of correcting the situation. “We can only hope to stem the tide of the various problems besetting our country so that the next crop of national leaders will have a much easier task in rectifying the situation,” the former defense secretary stressed.

“I am urging all our voters to please look carefully into the qualifications and platform of governance of the candidates they intend to vote. Popularity, while it looks good on surveys, does not automatically make someone a good or a competent leader,” the 1989 Philippine Bar Examinations topnotcher pointed out.

Teodoro, who has been consistently improving his ratings in the surveys, has emerged to be the presidential candidate of the country’s so-called youth bloc. He won the mock-polls conducted in the University of the Philippines (UP) held Dec. 8 to 11. He garnered 1,669 while Sen. Noynoy Aquino got 1,481 votes out of the total 6,604 students who participated in the elections.

The mock election was the second leg of the Alpha Sigma fraternity’s Boto ng Mga Iskolar ng Bayan which held its first mock polls in September where then presidential aspirant Sen. Francis Escudero was the top choice.

“I think that the result shows that students are thinking out of the box, that even if President Arroyo is unpopular, it does not rub off on Gibo. There’s no bandwagon effect,” said fraternity spokesperson Laurel Castillo.

He said that Teodoro became a standout when he uttered “well thought” answers in presidential forums held in different schools and universities in Metro Manila.