Of all the Philippine presidential candidates in this year’s general elections, no one has inspired the youth and captivated their imagination more than former defense secretary Gilbert ‘Gibo’ Teodoro.

Of course, the left-leaning League of Filipino Students and the Kabataan Partylist organization would totally disagree with that supposition.

But there is no mistake that the reason Teodoro has trail blazed in the campuses and attracted many students is because of his intellect, articulateness and good looks – characteristics and traits that youth are most fascinated with.

Teodoro is taking off where former senators Miriam Defensor-Santiago and the late Raul Roco left off – both of whom launched their own failed presidential bids by hopping from one campus to another with the hope of mobilizing the youth.

That is where comparisons between the two former presidential candidates and Teodoro however end even if all of them held impeccable scholastic records during their student days.

While both Santiago and Roco were then candidates of a faction of a fractured opposition, Teodoro is the anointed bet of the ruling Lakas-KAMPI-CMD party.

Santiago (she ran in the 1992 presidential elections) and Roco (2004) enjoyed national exposure by virtue of them having been elected senators and landing on the top of the heap before they joined the presidential race.

Teodoro, on the other hand, crashed into the national political limelight only after he was appointed defense chief – a rather not so visible position although very strategic in terms of clout and influence.  

Although only 45 years old, Teodoro is already a seasoned politician, however. 

He first joined politics as a member of the Marcos-era Kabataang Barangay and was seated as a member of the town council in his hometown in Tarlac.

He was undefeated as a congressman representing his district in Tarlac when he later rejoined politics and was a favorite nephew and protégé of former Marcos crony and business tycoon Eduardo ‘Danding’ Cojuangco.

Teodoro is trailing behind his cousin Benigno ‘Noynoy’ Aquino III and Manny Villar in almost all surveys but isn’t losing hope he will emerge the winner after the May 10 elections.

He is pinning his hopes on 51 of the country’s 82 governors who have pledged their support to him.

The campaign period for candidates seeking seats in the local government won’t start until Friday, March 26. 

It remains to be seen if the pledge of support from provincial governors and other Lakas-KAMPI-CMD local government officials will help turn the tide for Teodoro.

Teodoro however also hopes to tap the youth and student sector as a provider of core warm bodies for his presidential bid, organizing them into his Green Team or Green Army.

With more than half of the country’s estimated 51 million registered voters falling into the 35 years old and below age brackets, the youth vote will, for the first time in the history of Philippine elections, be a significant and decisive force in the country’s electoral politics.

The youth are by nature idealists, energetic and excellent and articulate propagandists.  Where their voices go will be a big factor for a presidential candidate hoping to win in a three or four-cornered contest.

Gibo’s Green Team must in turn launch their campaign in the most creative way.

Teodoro’s biggest drawback and liability is his identification with the unpopular Arroyo administration.

The Green Team should address this public perception squarely rather than evade it.  The Green Team should turn the skeptical into believers that Gibo will be his own man.  

Their candidate, after all, has shown he can transcend politics of patronage and has shown a strong political will.

Cutting his umbilical cord with uncle Danding, and decisive expulsion of the Ampatuans from the ruling political party at the instance of the Ampatuan massacre, are strong points of Teodoro they should capitalize on.

More importantly, Teodoro’s vision and platform of government, including his economic agenda, are a cut above the rest of the presidential candidates. This is where the positive sides of Teodoro stand out.

My friends from the Left may disagree, but Teodoro should be a better adversary as a president than the outright traditional politician Manny Villar and the pseudo-progressive Noynoy Aquino. 

At the onset, the Left will not have to make pretensions of cooperating with a government that will inevitably preserve the status quo and end up frustrated with either Villar or Aquino sitting as the president.

I would rather see the Red and the Green square off in the post presidential election.