Lakas-Kampi CMD presidential bet Gilberto 'Gibo' Teodoro Jr. takes time out from his provincial sorties to bring his campaign to Manila City's depressed areas, starting in Parola, Tondo district where he is shown addressing the crowd.

Now that his presidential campaign is in full throttle, Lakas-Kampi-CMD standard bearer Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. has improved his survey standings based on polls recently conducted nationwide by broadcast media giant Radio Mindanao Network (RMN) as he placed consistently within the top three slots in many areas of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

Asked who they would choose as the next president of the Philippines should elections be held tomorrow, the 45-year-old former defense secretary raked in 50 percent of the survey votes in Sorsogon City taken from March 9 to 11.

The survey results also showed that Nacionalista Party bet Sen. Manny Villar had 25 percent, followed by Liberal Party candidate Sen. Benigno Aquino III, 19.2 percent, and Partido ng Masang Pilipino standard-bearer Joseph Estrada, 3.3 percent.

The same survey, this time conducted from March 6 to 7 in Vigan City placed Teodoro behind Villar, but ahead of Aquino, John Carlos delos Reyes, Eddie Villanueva, and Estrada.

Teodoro placed third in RMN surveys (behind Aquino and Villar) in Pagadian City (conducted during the March 4-7); Cauayan, Isabela (March 2-6); Baguio City (March 4-5); Laoag City (March 5-6); Tuguegarao City (March 15-16); Ormoc City (March 6-7); San Carlos City (March 5-6); Dumaguete City (March 6-7); and Metro Bacolod (March 5-6).

The 1989 bar topnotcher and Harvard-trained lawyer edged out Estrada in third place in the RMN survey conducted for the rest of Luzon (March 2-16), and breathed heavily behind the necks of Villar and Aquino in the survey for the rest of the Visayas (March 2-9).

Attorney Mike Toledo, Teodoro’s campaign spokesman, cited the ruling party’s machinery and Gibo’s strong and aggressive presence in many parts of the country as the main contributory factors in his improved rating standings.

Teodoro secured double-figure statistics (14 percent) in the latest pre-poll survey by The Center for Issues and Advocacy (The Center), which had Villar overtaking Aquino, 28 percent to 26 percent, respectively.

Meanwhile, leaders of the administration-backed Lakas-Kampi-CMD expect Teodoro to continue to gain ground as the local campaign kicks off in two days.

Ray Roquero, party deputy secretary general, said Teodoro and his team enjoy a huge backing among the local candidates, adding that Lakas-Kampi-CMD accounts for at least 71 percent of all bets who have filed their candidacy for the May 10 polls.

Local bets have vowed to strongly push for the candidacy of the Lakas-Kampi-CMD national bets as soon as the local campaign starts this Friday.

As proof, Roquero said, a total 51 incumbent governors recently forged a “multiparty alliance” to campaign and deliver the votes for Teodoro who they described as the “best, brightest and most capable candidate” in this year’s presidential race

Among those who signed the manifesto forming a “multiparty” alliance to support Gibo’s presidential bid were Governors Gwendolyn Garcia of Cebu; Amado Espino Jr. of Pangasinan; Michael Keon of Ilocos Norte; Deogracias Victor Savellano of Ilocos Sur; Teresita Lazaro of Laguna; Casimiro Ynares III of Rizal; Joey Salceda of Albay; Jesus Typoco Jr. of Camarines Norte; Aurelio Umali of Nueva Ecija; Sally Ante Lee of Sorsogon; Erico Aumentado of Bohol; Salvacion Zaldivar Perez of Antique, Ben Evardone of Eastern Samar and Miguel Dominguez of Sarangani.

On Tuesday, Teodoro shrugged off the defection of Bukidnon Gov. Jose Zubiri to the Villar camp as an expected move by the governor.

He said the ruling party has taken strong moves to prevent moves by rival political parties to raid its ranks.