Madrigal backs Roxas for VP, trains ‘guns’ on Legarda

To show her "full support" for Sen. Mar Roxas, independent presidential candidate and Senator "Jamby" Madrigal had planned to attend the ABS-CBN's “Harapan” vice presidential debate on Sunday night at La Consolacion College in Manila.

But a trip to Dagupan City, where Madrigal attended a “Sunday worship” of Pastor Apollo Quiboloy's Kingdom of Jesus Christ religious sect, prevented her from doing so.

Last weekend, Madrigal told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that aside from cheering for her “friend” Roxas she would also check out “if (Sen. Loren Legarda) would speak the truth” during the televised debate.

“We secured ten tickets for the La Consolacion debate,” disclosed Fritzi Lim, Madrigal's secretary.

Madrigal has been unflinching in her campaign against Legarda, the guest vice presidential candidate of the Nacionalista Party and NP standard-bearer Sen. Manny Legarda.

According to Madrigal, she really wanted “to be a part of the crowd at La Consolacion to show my full support for Mar Roxas.”

Roxas, running mate of Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, standard bearer of Liberal Party, “is sure to be our next vice president...Kawawang Loren (Loren’s pathetic),” said Madrigal.

“Mar (Roxas) has shown political maturity, statesmanship and leadership. Unlike Senator Legarda, Senator Roxas is motivated by a true desire to serve our country rather than personal ambition. He is not a political turncoat and has remained with the LP throughout his political career,” noted Madrigal.

Madrigal cited “some of the reasons why the Filipino voters should not support Loren.”

“She's such a hypocrite. She claims she's planted many trees. Yet, she voted for (the controversial Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement, or JPEPA).”

Legarda's partnership with Villar is “also an issue,” according to Madrigal.

“Loren once hated Manny Villar with a passion. She worked hard to oust him as Senate president. Then, she joined forces with him for the money.”

Madrigal has made good on her promise to make Villar and Legarda-bashing a staple of her campaign sorties.

“If Villar is elected president, there will be no limit to his greed,” Madrigal told leaders of the party-list groups Ating Coop and Abante Katutubo. Both organizations, among other groups, have endorsed Madrigal's presidential bid. Madrigal also dismissed Villar's “rags-to-riches story” as a “cheap gimmick.”

“One may have come from a poor background before becoming rich, but that doesn't guarantee that person has integrity. Manny Villar was poor when he married a rich woman,” Madrigal said.

The senator slammed anew Villar and Legarda's “song and dance politics.”

“Just goes to show how little respect they have for Filipino voters... Are they running for the country's top posts or auditioning for movie parts?” said Madrigal who earlier said she regretted resorting to the same tactics when she first ran for senator.

Villar has been doing a lip-synched version of controversial TV host Willie Revillame's “Ikaw na Nga” (It's Really You) to cap his rallies.

In an interview, Madrigal told the INQUIRER that “Loren will always be an acquaintance. But you can't have friendship when your principles are different.”

“Like (President Macapagal-Arroyo), Loren is an Assumption girl. I went to primary school there and partly higher grades. But I think that's where we end. Gloria, Loren and I share a completely different set of principles when it comes to politics,” she added.

Roxas urges Tarlac folk to back Noynoy

Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas II asked the people of Tarlac on Tuesday to help the presidential campaign of their kabalen, Senator Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino III.

Roxas encouraged the residents of Concepcion, Tarlac to convince their relatives, friends, and acquaintances to vote for the Liberal Party's standard bearer.

“For the next 90 days, can we expect you to convince at least one or two people to vote for Senator Aquino? If you do believe that Senator Noynoy is our best choice for the president, you will donate your P1 text to campaign for him,” Roxas told the crowd during the Liberal Party's kickoff campaign rally at the Concepcion Public Market.

Roxas said that Aquino and the Liberal Party need their help to win the elections in May.

“The more people we convince to support Senator Noynoy, the better is his chance to right the wrongs of the government,” he said.

Meanwhile, Roxas criticized opponents who resort to makeovers to enhance their image, tinting their hair or resorting to plastic surgery.

“We all know that imaging is faking something that is real. I do not want our campaign to go down to this level because Senator Aquino is liked not because of his mere looks but most of all because of his heart,” he said.

Roxas also said that Aquino doesn’t need to match the amount spent by their opponents, especially Sen. Manuel Villar of the Nacionalista Party, on campaign advertising.

“This campaign will stand on character versus cash. It is Senator Aquino's personality and character that matter. And I believe the people are mature enough to determine which is real and otherwise,” Roxas said.

Aquino said his team will polish a message-driven campaign.

“It'll be hard to keep up with our closest rival especially on advertisements given 10 to one ratio. What we will do is to have more presence. We will also make sure our message is clearer and more focused,” Aquino said.

Gordon, Bayani turn on the charm
When you don’t have the same resources as your opponents in the presidential campaign, what do you do to project yourself as the “transformers” who will bring change in government?

Bagumbayan presidential candidate Sen. Richard Gordon and vice presidential candidate Bayani Fernando resort to charm and wit and their talents at singing and dancing.

At the launch of their campaign last Tuesday, a sortie in vote-rich Cavite province, Fernando gave away CDs of his song, entitled, “May BF ka na ba?” which is his new catch phrase.

“May BF ka na ba? Ako na lang," Fernando told reporters, who quickly bantered that the "Transformers" tandem of the Bagumbayan party offered a BF and a Dick, which is Gordon's nickname.

Fernando said the Gordon-Bayani tandem will try to be more creative to compensate for the lack of cash to use in advertising and paying off celebrities to endorse them.

Even Gordon, who by nature is averse to singing and dancing in election campaigns, sang "Imagine" by John Lennon to court voters.

The lyrics “You might say I'm a dreamer, I'm not the only one and I hope someday you will join us” are particularly apt for Gordon and Fernando.

The Gordon-Bayani tandem led hundreds of supporters in a motorcade through Cavite, where Gordon said the Philippine Revolution won its first victory.

"This is where we won the first victory of the revolution and today we gain the first victory of the country. We will return our sense of country and we'll start here where we've won our first victory," Gordon said. (David Cagahastian)

Brother Eddie cries political discrimination
Bangon Pilipinas Party standard bearer Bro. Eddie Villanueva yesterday decried as political discrimination the cancellation by park authorities of a planned political rally on February 13 in Luneta, Manila.

“We would have wanted to hold a proclamation rally on Feb. 13 but it was canceled The (Luneta Park) staff said ‘Ma'am got angry because it might become a political rally’,” Villanueva said in a press briefing after their kick-off rally in Luneta where they unfurled the biggest flag in the Philippines.

“But of course it's a political gathering. Why do they have to prevent the use of Luneta Park? Are they afraid to see that we can fill Luneta Park and disprove what the (pre-election) surveys say?” he said.

Mar Roxas upheld as LP head

he Supreme Court has affirmed the election of Liberal Party vice presidential candidate Manuel “Mar” Roxas II as party president as it junked the petition of renegade LP members led by former environment secretary Jose “Lito” Atienza Jr.

The high court, in a unanimous vote (with one abstention) affirmed the Commission on Elections’ decision to uphold Roxas’s election on Nov. 26, 2007 as party president as well as the party’s decision to expel a group of “pro-administration” members led by Atienza.

Atienza along with Representatives Matias Defensor Jr. of Quezon City, Rodolfo Valencia of Oriental Mindoro, Danilo Suarez of Quezon, Solomon Chungalao of Ifugao, Antique Gov. Salvacion Zaldivar-Perez, former representatives Harlin Cast-Abayon of Northern Samar and Melvin Macusi of La Union and former LP director general Eleazar Quinto had asked the high court to nullify their expulsion from the party as well as Roxas’ presidency.

“The Comelec did not gravely abuse its discretion when it upheld Roxas’ election as LP president but refused to rule on the validity of Atienza et al’s expulsion from the party,” the high tribunal declared, referring to the poll body’s resolution last June 18, 2009.

It said Comelec was right to rule on the legitimacy of Roxas’ election because this was part of its function to register political parties and to recognize their legitimate leaders.

The Comelec was also correct in not touching the issue of Atienza et al’s expulsion, the court said in a decision penned by Associate Justice Roberto Abad.

“Under the circumstances, the validity or invalidity of Atienza et al’s expulsion was purely a membership issue that had to be settled within the party. It is an internal party matter over which the Comelec has no jurisdiction,” the Supreme Court stressed.

The court did not give way to Atienza’s claim that they were denied due process when they were expelled.

“Such expulsion is for the moment an issue of party membership and discipline in which the Comelec can not intervene, given the limited scope of its power over political parties,” it said.

“The Comelec’s jurisdiction over intra-party disputes is limited. It does not have blanket authority to resolve any and all controversies involving political parties. Political parties are generally free to conduct their activities without interference from the state. The Comelec may intervene in disputes internal to a party only when necessary to the discharge of its constitutional functions,” it added.

The Comelec has already listed re-electionist Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim as the LP candidate and Atienza as an independent candidate.

New Site For Mar Roxas

Hello everyone Mar Roxas has a new website http://marroxas.org check it out.

Roxas seeks strict sugar price monitoring

Consumers should refrain from engaging in panic buying and government must enforce a stricter and inflexible monitoring policy to address the worsening sugar crisis, Sen. Mar Roxas Tuesday said.

Roxas, Liberal Party president and vice presidential candidate, said that in his experience as secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry, prices go up further due to panic buying coupled with hoarding by abusive businessmen.

I will make sure that government will impose an iron hand against scrupulous businessmen who hide away their sugar reserves. At the same time, I am also appealing to the public to be calm and not to engage in panic buying, said the chairman of the Senate trade and commerce committee.

He said he would coordinate with the DTI on what steps it has taken to manage the sugar problem and discuss with trade officials what other measures could be taken to address the mess.

Roxas stressed government officials should have anticipated the situation following the escalation of the prices of basic commodities in the world market.

News reports indicate sugar prices have reached P60 per kilo over the weekend. An advisory from the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics, on the other hand, white sugar should only cost P52 per kilo and for brown sugar, P44 per kilo.

Noynoy-Mar, CVS top CC mock polls

The tandem of Senators Noynoy Aquino and Mar Roxas topped the presidential and vice presidential race while Asst. Secretary Cesar V. Sarmiento was the overwhelming choice for congressman in mock elections held Friday (Jan. 22) by 446 college students of the Catanduanes College in Virac.

Aquino, the Liberal Party’s standard bearer for president, got the nod of 148 respondents, followed by Estrada with 107 votes, and Villar with 106.

Roxas, Aquino’s running mate, got 194 votes as compared to Legarda’s 107. Estrada’s running mate Binay was third with 72.

In the congressional race, Sarmiento was a runaway winner with 225 votes. Wong and Verceles were second and third with 97 and 84, respectively.

In the gubernatorial race between incumbent Joseph Cua and his erstwhile friend, incumbent Congressman Joseph Santiago, which is expected to be closely fought in May, Cua got 286 as against Santiago’s 104.

Meanwhile, former Vice Gov. Vincent Villaluna edged out incumbent Vice Gov. Aquino , 147 – 138, while Baras Mayor Bong Teves got 102 votes in the race for vice governor, also to be tightly contested.

In the race for membership in the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, PBM Edwin Tanael was on top in the East District while in the West District, PBM Shirley Araojo-Abundo got the highest vote.

Only the top three candidates in each post were taken into consideration.

The mock election, organized by the CC administration in coordination with the Supreme Student Government of the school, was conducted to determine who among the national and local candidates were the choices of the students of the province’s premier private tertiary institution. The 446 respondents were almost 50% of the college population.

SSG President Vince Tacorda said that the results basically reflected the youth vote in Catanduanes. He added that while there might have been some discrepancies in the results of the mock elections conducted in CSC sometime last year, it was because of the recent swing in youth voters’ sentiments after having heard and met the candidates, especially in the local posts.

Roxas wins youth vote: survey

Liberal Party vice presidential candidate and survey frontrunner Sen. Mar Roxas is clearly the choice of the youth, as shown by recent surveys held in various universities in the country, a press release from his office said.

Roxas had two-digit leads over his rivals in surveys conducted at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City; the Centro Escolar University in Malolos, Bulacan; the Holy Angels University in Pampanga; the Catanduanes College in Catanduanes, Nueva Ecija; and the Negros Oriental State University in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental.

At the Negros Oriental State University, some 1,684 students or a rating of 49.17 percent picked Roxas in the survey done during the period December 7 to 11, 2009. Legarda got 22.68 percent and Binay, 15.5 percent. Lakas-Kampi-NUCD vice presidential candidate Edu Manzano’s name popped up with a rating of 12.65 percent.

In UP Diliman, the Visayan senator got 4,582 votes or a 40 percent rating in the survey conducted during the period December 8 to 11, 2009. Vice presidential bets Sen. Loren Legarda (NP-NPC) got a mere 13 percent while Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay (UNO-PMP) got 12 percent, the press release said.

Roxas got a high 56 percent rating in the January 15, 2010 survey conducted in CEU-Malolos. Legarda and Binay were tied at 13 percent.

Sixty-four percent or 3,688 of Holy Angels University students in Pampanga chose Roxas over Legarda, who only got 23 percent and Binay, with only 8 percent. The survey was done last January 13, the press release said.

At the Catanduanes College in Nueva Ecija, a survey conducted on January 22 showed Roxas getting a 44.17 percent rating (or 446 votes) while Legarda got 23.99 percent and Binay, 16.14 percent.

Roxas is running on a campaign for reforms and good governance alongside Liberal standard bearer Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III. He has pledged “not to steal” from the government and to open his bank accounts for public scrutiny once he wins in the May 10 national elections, the press release said.

The 52-year old senator gave up his presidential bid in September to give way to a public clamor for Aquino to run following the death of his mother, the late President Cory Aquino.

He is the author of Republic Act No. 9502, known as the Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act of 2008, which made quality but affordable medicines more accessible to the people, the press release said.

He is hailed as the “Father of the BPO Industry” for pioneering the establishment of high-technology industry centers and the promotion of the business process outsourcing market in the Philippines, particularly call center operations.

From a mere 2000 jobs at the onset, the BPO industry now provides hundreds of thousands of jobs, putting the Philippines on the map as a major IT/BPO destination, the press release added.*

Netizens 'insert' own thoughts into Pimentel/Roxas exchange

“I’m sure that after your marriage, you had some insertions,” was Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel, Jr.’s now infamous line to Senator Mar Roxas during Monday’s Senate plenary on the C-5 controversy. Was Senator Pimentel’s jab uncalled for?

Some saw humor in the situation. @MarcMiranda posited that the Senator’s comment was the effect of using too much hair dye, while @Cosan2010 called the plenary a real life teleserye and found it more entertaining than the reality show, Pinoy Big Brother.

But most found the comment inappropriate and offensive, with some even calling for the Senator’s suspension or retirement. Rock Ed Philippines Executive Director and avid Twitter user, @gangbadoy said, “I have no problem with raunchy humor on any given day. That certainly was not the proper forum to play the funny uncle card.” @shalum_u added, “Wit and humor have no place when used against a man trying to defend himself in a public forum.”

Still others chose to let the Senator’s statement slide. @LDrss tweeted, “We Filipinos are too sensitive about this stuff.” Meanwhile, @kayraymundo believed remarks like his should not be censored, adding, “Let the public hear Senators and their crass comments.”

Facebook user, Van Amelio Fudalan, offered another possible explanation for Senator Pimentel’s remarks – that perhaps Senator Pimentel meant his fellow Senator was taking good care of his wife. Fudalan gave the examples: “Mar inserts the straw [in] Korina's orange juice during breakfast,” or “Mar inserts his credit card [in] his wife’s wallet for her to go shopping,” as alternatives interpretations of the statement.

Whatever his intentions, Senator Pimentel sought to end the controversy and apologized for his comment. He offered the explanation that, “In the heat of the discussion, some of us tend to use words that are coarse and vulgar.” He added, "to those who I might have hurt in this Chamber by the use of intemperate language or unseemly expressions, I apologize and beg their forgiveness through you, Lord."

Mar Roxas now officially a Regal Baby!

They exude an aura of perfect bliss – that’s how they appeared when they arrived Wednesday at the dinner presscon hosted by Mother Lily at the Imperial Palace Suites. Sen. Mar Roxas (who presscon host and colleague Ricky Lo said is now officially a Regal Baby!) and his wife Korina, to say the least, were the epitome of a husband and wife who honor each other in every way they act or converse.

In the on-going political campaign, Korina said: “I step aside, I don’t make myself noticeable. I only do or participate in a way that Sen. Roxas would ask me to do.”

Asked what is her reaction or comment to the “insertion joke” of Sen. Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr., Korina said: “I was not affected at all! I didn’t feel offended. The apology has also no effect on me. What Sen. Pimentel said does not really matter. I just relax.”

As one of the country’s top broadcasters, Korina was used to meeting deadlines hour-on-the-hour. “Since I got married, I have to make a lot of adjustments. Without meeting any deadline now, I feel there was a vacuum in my life, and my body seems to yearn for those hectic schedules. Now I can drink my coffee leisurely in the morning, and I can even wake up late.”

Mother Lily opened the presscon by saying, with an apology to Korina, “that it was love at first sight for me and Mar Roxas.”

Mother Lily explained, “When I first met the young Mar, he readily impressed me with his candid charm and brilliant mind. I know he comes from a reputable family. Both the Aranetas and the Roxases are highly regarded clans.”

Mar’s father, Gerry Roxas was a respected senator, while grandfather, Manuel A. Roxas, was the country’s first president.

Mother Lily added: “I am very happy that Mar is continuing the legacy of his dad and lolo to serve the country. From the time Mar became a congressman, I never doubted his ability to lead and his genuine desire to serve the people.”

Mar’s uncle, George Araneta, is the wedding godfather of Mother Lily’s son Dondon.

“I did not think twice about supporting Mar because I believe in his ideals, his decisions, his vision. He committed himself to education, trade and industry, consumer welfare, the media, giving jobs to the unemployed and many more.

“I trust Mar to also continue supporting local showbiz, so we can uplift the status of Philippine entertainment industry."

In response, Mar vowed not to disappoint Mother Lily! Mar, as everyone knows, is running for the vice presidency of the country, with Noynoy Aquino as the presidential standard bearer for the Liberal Party.

On the local movie industry, Sen. Roxas observed that the only remaining semblance of the industry is the annual Metro Manila Film Festival. Otherwise, the local movie industry is practically non-existent already.

“I don’t promise I can solve the ailments of the local movie industry,” Sen. Roxas stressed. “But there are still some measures that can be undertaken to promote and develop further the local movie industry. A delivery mechanism must be developed.”

He observed that the marketing of local films are still within the country, as it was in the past years or decades. The marketability of local films must be doubled, tripled, or through a delivery mechanism that a movie can be sold several times over.

A Tagalog movie is only sold to Tagalog audiences, because it is produced with Tagalog as its sound track. “But when it is dubbed into or with subtitles in other languages or dialects, the market for that particular movie is doubled or multiplied,” Sen. Roxas said.

Korean telenovelas, dubbed in Tagalog, have been long being shown in the Philippines. But why not also dubbed in Korean our telenovelas or movies? He asked.

Sen. Roxas expressed belief that a mechanism of delivery is one great factor that will sell our movies abroad – in fact – in the entire world, so to speak.”

Roxas convinced Aquino will run

Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas II Tuesday said he is convinced that Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III will run for president in 2010.

“Noynoy said he will not turn his back on the fight Cory and Ninoy started,” Roxas pointed out, but added he did not want to pre-empt Aquino’s formal announcement.

A confidant said Aquino will announce his candidacy for the presidency on Wednesday at the Club Filipino, the same venue where his late mother, Corazon Aquino, took her oath as president in 1986.

Roxas, who was one of the earliest to announce his plans to seek the presidency, last week gave up his ambition and yielded to Aquino, saying the fight for 2010 was a fight for the country and went beyond personal interest.

Aquino, who has gone on a spiritual retreat in Zamboanga City, has said he would be announcing his decision before the end of the month even as his supporters continue to gather the signatures that they hope would convince him to run.

Roxas said he is supporting Aquino for president because he sees in him the chance to unite the forces fighting for reform and good governance.

“Noynoy is very prepared. I have a high respect for him. He will not tarnish the clean name of his parents. What is important is his spirit to want to do what is right,” he said.

Members of the Aquino clan, including those serving in the Arroyo administration, will rally behind Noynoy if he decides to run, Agapito “Butz” Aquino, a former senator and congressman, said Tuesday.

The clan will be united behind Noynoy if he decides to run, Butz said.

He said he expects family members who are in the administration—like his sister, Sen. Tessie Aquino-Oreta, another former senator who now chairs the Early Childhood Care and Development Council, and another sister, Lupita Aquino-Kashiwahara, who is President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s image consultant—to also support Noynoy.

“If that is his decision I’m sure we will all rally behind him,” Butz told reporters in a chance interview at the Manila Peninsula hotel.

No rush

But he said Noynoy should not be rushed into a decision.

“He’s taking a very serious challenge. I think he should be given all the time to consider what he’s going to do,” said Butz, a younger brother of Noynoy’s father, the martyred opposition leader, Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr.

“He’s praying for guidance. I think that is a good sign,” he added.

Butz, who is a member of the opposition PDP-Laban party, said he also supports opposition unity talks so that they can field a common candidate for president.

“What’s important is that the people are wanting good government, an honest government, a government they can trust. I think that is what all of us want. So whatever will bring that about, we will do,” he said.

Deposed President Joseph Estrada Tuesday threatened to push through with his plans to run for President next year if the opposition fields “more than two candidates.”

“I’m sorry I cannot support anyone of them if the opposition will present more than two candidates,” he said in a speech before the Rotary Club of Makati.

‘Unity’ talks

Estrada said he was willing to join forces with Noynoy and that their camps would be holding “unity talks,” with Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay acting as intermediary, after Noynoy returns from his retreat.

Estrada later told reporters the chances of the opposition uniting around a single candidate were unlikely.

“I think the others cannot be persuaded to withdraw,” he said.

Estrada said that he intends to announce his candidacy in the first or second week October or before November “if the opposition does not unite.”

In Iloilo City, lawyer Dan Cartagena, one of the convenors of the Noynoy Aquino for President Movement-Iloilo, said the signatures gathered urging Noynoy to run are expected to reach from 2,500 to 3,000 on Wednesday.

“Noynoy needs to see and believe that the call for him to run for president is not just wishful thinking or a concept but backed by volunteers and voters willing to work for that call,” Cartagena said.

Arroyo’s Sona digs vs Roxas flatters LP

Senator Manuel Roxas II scored good points from the jab thrown against him by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in her State of the Nation Address (Sona) Monday, the senator’s party mates in the Liberal Party (LP) said.

Muntinlupa Representative Rufino Biazon said that the President made Roxas appear as the most formidable among all the opposition presidential candidates when she singled him out in her tirades.

”He was picked out, it only shows the Mar (Roxas) is rally the opposition candidate because he warranted enough space and time to be included in the President’s Sona,” Biazon said in an interview after the Sona.

The congressman said he believes that the tirade on Roxas was good for the LP stalwart and actually earned him points.

Representative Lorenzo Tanada III, another LP member, said he welcomed the tirades on Roxas because “it shows that Senator Roxas must be doing the right thing.”

”If Senator Roxas’s fiscalizing action moves the President to do something right, then the potshots to Senator Roxas is worth it,” Tanada added.

In her speech, Arroyo took a dig at Roxas for criticizing her over the implementation of the Cheaper Medicines Act.

“To those who want to be president, this advice: If you really want something done, just do it, do it hard, do it well, don’t pussy-foot, don’t say bad words in public,” Arroyo said.

The President was apparently referring to Roxas’s cuss words at an anti-Charter change rally early this year.

Mar Roxas

Manuel "Mar" Araneta Roxas II (born May 13, 1957) is a senator of the Philippines. He is the grandson of former Philippine President Manuel Roxas, and the son of former Senator Gerry Roxas.

Roxas was born in Quezon City in Metro Manila. He attended Ateneo de Manila University for elementary and high school education, then earned a degree in economics from Wharton School of Economics at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States.

In the 2004 Philippine election, Mar Roxas ran for senator and garnered the highest number of votes. His total of 19,237,888 votes was the highest ever garnered by a national candidate in any Philippine election.

ROXAS, Manuel Assets and Liabilities

Total Assets (in pesos): 116,345,491.00

Total Liabilities (in pesos): 60,464,803.00

Net Worth (in pesos): 55,880,688.00

Liabilities

ture	Amount
Subcriptions payable	15,845,806.00
Accounts payable	44,618,997.00

Senator Mar A. Roxas

Senate Office:
5th flr., Rm. 512 GSIS Bldg., Financial Center, Roxas Blvd., Pasay City
Trunk Lines: (632) 552-6601 to 80 loc. 5524 - 26 / 5594
Direct Line: (632) 552-6688
Fax No.: (632) 552-6689
Email: marroxas@senate.gov.ph
Website: www.marroxas.com

Biography

Mar Roxas was voted No. 1 senator during the May 10, 2004 elections with total votes of 19,237,888 - the highest ever garnered by a national candidate in any Philippine election.

Even before his election as No. 1 senator, the international community and various foreign publications had taken note of his outstanding record and accomplishments as a public servant and political leader, legislator, Cabinet member and economist.

Mar Roxas has been described “as one of the young leaders in politics and business who will bring Asia and the Pacific to the forefront of world affairs”.

During the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, he was acknowledged as one of the Global Leaders of Tomorrow who is expected to shape the future.

Recently, he was named the 16th Lee Kuan Yew Fellow by the Singaporean government.

Grandson of the late President Manuel Roxas and son of the late Senator Gerry Roxas, he graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University and the Wharton School of Economics at the University of Pennsylvania.

Before joining government in 1993, Mar Roxas was an investment banker raising funds for venture capital as assistant vice president of the reputable New York-based Allen and Co., Inc. He also served as president of North Star Capitals Inc.

He became a Congressman, representing the lst District of Capiz, in 1993, and rose to prominence in the House of Representatives as Majority Leader of the 11th Congress. There he principally authored the Roxas Law or RA 7880 which established fair and equitable access to education to respective districts for sustainable development. His other landmark laws include RA 8756, providing incentives to multinational companies establishing regional headquarters in the country; RA 8557, establishing the Philippine Judiciary Academy; RA 8748, amending the Special Economic Zone Act; setting up a Public Employment Service Office in every locality; and strengthening the Professional Regulation Commission.

As Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Mar Roxas was popularly known as “Mr. Palengke”, not only because of his frequent visits to the markets, but also because of his advocacy on “Palengkenomics” which aims to develop the “palengke” as the basic unit of the economy and the root of progress.

As head of the Philippine delegation to the 5th World Trade Organization (WTO) conference on trade liberalization on September 10-14, 2003 in Cancun, Mexico, he voiced out a strong message “that they should deal with developing countries like us on equal footing and mutual respect.”

At DTI, he spearheaded the following major projects: “Tamang Timbang, Tamang Presyo” - to ensure accuracy of weighing scales and price tags to protect consumers; “Presyong Tama, Gamot Pampamilya” - to give consumers access to high quality medicine at very affordable prices (80 percent discount in various medicine); Personal Computers for Public Schools - to boost information technology by providing 30,000 computers to 2000 public high schools nationwide and by promoting business process outsourcing market that includes call centers; “Sulong” (SME Unified Lending Opportunities for National Growth) Program - to provide small and medium-scale entrepreneurs low-interest loans as well as technical and managerial trainings.

Senator Roxas is the chairman of the Committee on Economic Affairs, and the Committee on Trade and Commerce in this 13th Congress. He is also a member of the bicameral Commission on Appointments.