Is Mar Roxas your president? Make sure you already know everything you need to know about him before putting in that precious vote on the 9th of May.
Mar Roxas emerged from a family of politicians—his father was former Senator Gerry Roxas, his brother the late Congressman Dinggoy Roxas, and his grandfather the former President Manuel Roxas. That is why it was no surprise that his political career started beautifully, too, with his victory in the senatorial race in 2004 with 19 million votes, an all-time high garnered by a national candidate in the Philippine elections.
Roxas’ political journey has had its peaks and valleys. He earned the trust of many a president, having been appointed to three different Cabinet posts across administrations, starting with a sterling career as Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) secretary. He earned the affection of the masses as “Mr. Palengke,” the title that won him a senatorial seat, as he paid close attention to the development of the marketplace and of small-to-medium enterprises, and was perceived to be instrumental to the development of the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry. His short stint as Transportation and Communications secretary, however, had him under fire. He was the point person behind the LRT-2 extension that never materialized, the Land Transportation Office’s inability to churn out stickers and license plates, the congestion at NAIA, and the under-capitalized procurement contracts made for the MRT. Following his missteps at the DOTC, his most recent post at the Department of the Interior and Local Government was also riddled with controversy. His contribution (or lack of it) to disaster preparedness and management during the Yolanda tragedy continues to be the topic of debates, and his involvement in the SAF44 massacre still undetermined. Even after his resignation, UNA is going after him for some P7 billion in unliquidated cash advances from when he was head of DILG.
A Wharton School graduate (despite disputes) and an investments specialist in New York for several years, Roxas is a man of business. His landmark laws in the congress include the formation of an employment facilitation and information center in all municipalities, the Special Economic Zone Act, and R.A. 8756, which encourages investment and operation of multinational companies in the country.
Read the profiles of the five presidentiables and the full Q&A with them inside Asian Dragon Magazine’s April-May 2016 issue, available in all leading bookstores and convenience stores nationwide. You can also purchase the issue from the Asian Dragon Magazine App, free to download on Google Play Store, iTunes, and Amazon. For orders and other inquiries, contact tel. nos. 361-7491 loc. 811, 845, 846.
