Eye Opener
A boost to Mar's presidential bid
Now that popular TV host Korina Sanchez had announced wedding plan with Senator Mar Roxas last April 25 during the popular TV show of ABS-CBN “Wowowee” hosted by Willie Revillame, the presidential aspiration of the grandson of the last President of the Philippine Commonwealth and the first President of the Philippine Republic Manuel A. Roxas has been boosted. Mar and Korina were both cheered during the West Visayas Palaro in Roxas City last March. Then Mar took Korina to his ancestral families in Talisay City were nearly 1,350 members of the Araneta clan joined the historic gathering where Senator Roxas and his longtime girlfriend Korina were together receiving the blessing of the wealthy Negrense – the Aranetas, Lopezes, Montelibanos, Lizares and other famous Negrense and Ilonggo families.
Wherever Senator Roxas goes around the country, Korina reportedly accompanies her boyfriend especially on weekends. The duo are well cheered by radio-television fans and admirers, when Mar visits the marketplace, he is well received by the vendors and commuters as they remembered the Senator from Capiz as he was responsible for passing laws espousing consumer protection, and the right of every Filipino to affordable medicines. Mar discovered that he could actually make things happen without sacrificing values and identity. He said in an interview recently, “Naisabatas ko rin yung pagpapantay-pantay ng paggastos ng DepEd sa classroom dahil sa palakasan and patronage politics. Gumagawa ako ng formula, pro-rata according to student population. At sinusuportahan ng mga congressmen, pati na si President Ramos.”
In 2000, he was appointed as Secretary of Trade and Industry by then Pres. Joseph Estrada. He is most proud of laying the foundation for what is now a multi-billion BPO call center industry employing about 400,000 young Filipinos who receive an average of P15,000 a month in salaries. As the No. 1 Senator at that time, he says he strives to pursue his advocacies mostly on education, health and consumer protection in a transparent, highly-principled and honest manner of public service.
The 51-year old senator in an hour interview with the Manila Bulletin, shares his humble beginnings as a struggling Wall Street investment banker, the valuable lessons he learned from his illustrious father the late Senator Gerry Roxas, the kind of leader the country needs and the kind of leader he will definitely be. He graduated with a degree in Economics from the Wharton School of Economics, University of Pennsylvania in the United States. Senator Roxas landed his first real job on his own hard work and merits, without his family's help or influence.
Mar first entered politics in Roxas City when his brother Rep. Gerardo “Dinggoy” Roxas died. Loved by market vendors all over the country, they nicknamed Mar Roxas as “Mr. Palengke”. Roxas, Liberal Party president and potential presidential candidate in the May 2010 elections, his campaign strategist had predicted that Roxas and Sanchez's relationship could boost the senator's presidential bid.
Roxas can carry the Visayas, most of Luzon and Mindanao as his name has never been tainted with graft and corruption. As the favorite son of the Hiligaynon areas and the Tagalog and Bicol regions, Mar Roxas has a good chance of becoming the next Philippines president.