ILOILO CITY, Philippines ?- Lakas-Kampi CMD standard bearer Gilbert Teodoro has this to say to Speaker Prospero Nograles who has threatened to form a faction within the party that would adopt a guest candidate: ``He should first win as a mayor before he does that.''

Nograles had threatened to quit the party and support another candidate over differences with the party and Teodoro, prompting the latter to say that the Speaker had never been supportive of his candidacy in the first place.

Nograles, a member of the party's advisory board who is running for mayor in Davao City, took back his pronouncement and said it was Teodoro who should ``shape up'' or ship out.

Teodoro did not mince words here when he attended a mammoth rally organized by resigned Secretary Raul Gonzalez, son Rep. Raul Gonzalez Jr., and their allies Tuesday night.

``He should not dump his frustrations on me. I won't dignify his comments,'' he told reporters before walking inside the Freedom Grandstand and facing a crowd of more than 5,000.

Hours earlier, he warned party officials against using him or the party as an excuse to defect to other camps.

Nograles had claimed that the party was in disarray after Teodoro quit as chair of the party to focus on his campaign and clear the way for a full-time chair to deal with the needs of local candidates.

At the rally, Teodoro took a subtle swipe at the defectors, and said he picked Edu Manzano, himself an Ilonggo, as his running mate because he was ``trustworthy.''

Teodoro also found an ally in the elder Gonzalez, who belittled any future decision by Nograles to bolt the party.

``We don't abandon the party. Only rats abandon a sinking ship. It's not yet sinking,'' he told reporters at the sidelines of the rally. ``I heard from Gibo that he (Nograles) has always been a reluctant supporter. It will not affect the situation on the ground except the psychology of people around.''

``What could he contribute to Gibo? He has a big constituency but we don't know his problems there [in Davao]. He is facing a great fight,'' he said of Nograles who is running against the daughter of Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

Gonzalez, former chief presidential legal counsel, said it was ``myopic'' for Nograles to blame Teodoro for the woes of party-mates and form a faction that would support another candidate.

``Too late for him. I don't think he can,'' Gonzalez said.

He said that Nograles' action ``could be acts inimical to the interest of the party,'' but stopped short of saying this constituted grounds for his expulsion.

Nograles had also accused Teodoro of having poor priorities, citing his preference to campaign in small provinces rather than in vote-rich provinces.

Teodoro's spokesperson, Mike Toledo, denied this.

``While Gibo has never had any sortie in Sarangani, he has been to Ilocos Sur three times and to Compostela Valley twice, contrary to what Speaker Nograles is saying,'' he said.