Last Tuesday, Forty district representatives, twenty city mayors, and over a hundred local executives from across the country took part on the sortie of the Lakas-Kampi-CMD in Antipolo City to formally incite the countrywide campaign of its presidential bet Gilberto Teodoro Jr.

In his speech before a jam-packed Ynares Center, Gibo Teodoro extended his appreciation to the entire local officials who attended the administration party’s inaugural official campaign kick-off, stating that local government units (LGUs) are the “strength” of the national government.

“The nation would not be strong without the local government units. I want to given them the opportunity to flourish during my administration,” he said in Filipino.

“I believe in the importance of the LGUs in nation-building… It is time that we listen to the voice of our people expressed through the local government,” he added.

Lakas-Kampi-CMD’s vice-presidential bet Edu Manzano similarly acknowledged the significance of local government support in his speech in front of an estimated 15,000 green-clad party officials, local government officials and supporters inside the gymnasium.

“There would be no empowered national government without an empowered local government,” Manzano said.

Among the local government officials who attended the sortie were Pampanga Rep. and presidential son Mikey Arroyo; Buluan Vice-Mayor Ismael Mangudadatu, who lost his wife and two sisters in the Nov. 23 massacre in Maguindanao province; and Teodoro’s wife, Tarlac Rep. Monica Prieto. During the kick-off sortie, administration party officials were also present such as Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno, and Lakas-Kampi-CMD campaign manager Prospero Pichay.

Ermita said he was “very happy” that local government executives showed their support to Teodoro and the rest of the rest of the administration party’s slate.

“I am very happy that everyone is so enthusiastic. I am thankful that the local executives from the Visayas and Mindanao took the time off and flew all the way here to attend the event,” he said.