Gibo aims to catch up with new TV ads

The Lakas-Kampi will start fighting for airtime against the leading presidential candidates of other parties.

The ruling party intends to pour money for the television ads of its standard-bearer Gilbert Teodoro, who is trailing behind three other candidates in presidential surveys

With two months to go before the election, young voters are increasingly the target of Teodoro's campaign.

Teodoro was in Butuan City Thursday campaigning in schools and universities.

Young voters are also the thrust of a new set of TV advertisements that the campaign will release next week.

Teodoro's spokesman Mike Toledo said their strategy is based on findings that show Teodoro has a stronger appeal among the youth.

"Sinasabi sa ads na iyan na nagpapatunay na ang mga estudyante, ang kabataan, na sila ang karamihan ng magiging botante sa darating na halalan. Fifty-two percent of the voting population will come from the youth, sila ay naniniwala kay Gibo," Toledo said.

The new ad campaign is expected to begin Monday and run until the end of the campaign period.

Toledo said this should put to rest any doubts that the ruling party is not fully behind its presidential candidate.

"We will saturate the airwaves with all these advertisements saka mga mensahe. Kung ano ang maximum under the law, uubusin namin lahat iyan," he said.

Gibo still trails

Teodoro has a lot of campaigining to do. Surveys show that he is still trailing behind his three major opponents--Sen. Benigno 'Noynoy' Aquino III of the Liberal Party, Sen. Manny Villar of the Nacionalista Party, and former President Joseph Estrada of the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP).

Much of the problem has been a lack of exposure.

Since the campaign period officially began, Teodoro has had almost no TV ads, unlike his opponents who have used more than half of the allowable airtime give to them.

But if Teodoro's campaign is finally taking off, it's not the same story with the ruling party's senatorial slate.

Senatorial candidate Raul Lambino said he has received almost no support from Lakas-Kampi.

This was not the case in the mid-term election in 2007, where Lakas candidates spent over P1 billion on TV ads.

Toledo admitted there have been funding problems, but added that these have been resolved.

"There was a problem in the release pero ganon talaga sa kampanya, it's not perfect," he said.

But whatever the fate of the Lakas-Kampi senatorial candidates, on Monday, when the new ad campaign begins, Toledo expressed confidence that Teodoro's numbers finally would take off.