This is part of Coconuts Manila’s quickie thinkpiece series on the presidentiables.
During his years as a public servant, Liberal Party (LP) standard bearer Mar Roxas has acquired many nicknames. Perhaps, the best one is “Mr. Palengke,” which he used during his years as Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) chief. He even used this nickname for his 2004 senatorial campaign.
Since then, as he occupied other positions — as Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) chief and Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) chief — he has been tagged with less-affectionate nicknames such as “Boy Sibuyas,” “Boy Pick-Up,” and “Boy Bawang.”
In particular, Roxas found himself being slammed for the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda in 2013. Many pundits say that disaster also laid waste to Roxas’ hopes of becoming President.
Backed by the powerful LP machinery and his own family’s resources, Roxas has gone on with his campaign. Then again, his loyalty to President Noynoy Aquino may be his undoing.
The promise of “Daang Mautuwid” may have captured the nation’s imagination back in 2010, when Roxas postponed his presidential dream to let Aquino run for President. Now, though, the mistakes of the Aquino administration have also been associated with Roxas.
His supporters hail the Wharton-educated Roxas as a economic visionary who plays it straight. But for other Pinoys, this may no longer be enough. Still, Roxas has said, “My record stands for itself. It is not a question of how I came into this world, it is what I did with my life and how I dedicated my life to help my country.”
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