The Philippine Online Chronicles

According to the latest survey by independent polling group Pulse Asia, Liberal Party’s Senator Manuel “Mar” Roxas II is among the two vice presidential bets trusted by most Filipinos with a rating of 73 percent.

It can be recalled that in September 2009, Roxas announced his support to Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III’s presidential bid in 2010, giving up his own dream yet in the process, winning the hearts of Filipinos with his statement “Bayan muna bago ang sarili (Country above self).”

When the Liberal Party turned 64 last January, Roxas as its party president, called for a strong campaign against pervasive corruption and transformation in Philippine society. The Party’s message of change generated a strong and warm response from Filipinos all over the world.

In his speech during the declaration of his vice presidential bid, Roxas said that the battle is all about our collective thirst for change. “It is about our thirst for change finally overcoming those who want to continue the tayu-tayo system, the horse-trading, the greed, the self-interest, the transactional politics that has been the biggest roadblock to progress and prosperity for all,” he said.

But more than his illustrious name, more than his popular tandem with Senator Aquino, more than his being the Liberal Party president, what makes Roxas the people’s choice? What makes him stand out among the vice presidentiables?  What are the things that matter to him most? What are the issues he is addressing and will continue to address once he is elected to office?

Justice for the Pre-need victims

Roxas sympathized with the thousands of planholders who were among the victims of the Legacy Group founded by businessman Celso de los Angeles. Today, he continues to provide free legal assistance to planholders of other fallen pre-need companies, while pushing for a stronger Pre-Need Code to prevent financial disasters that befell pre-need companies and their customers in 2006 and 2007.

Jobs

Aside from Mr. Palengke, he is also known as the “Father of the BPO Industry”. He pioneered the establishment of high-technology industry centers and the promotion of the BPO market in the Philippines, particularly call center operations.

Murang gamot/cheaper medicines

The Senator authored Senate Bill No. 2139, which became the Universally Accessible, Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act (Republic Act No. 9502). The law made the reduction of drug prices mandatory and provided measures against corruption of the regulatory process.

Education reform

Roxas’s congressional stint is most noted for his principal authorship of RA 7880, also known as the Roxas Law. According to the Senate website, the law ensures fair distribution of the education capital budget among all the provinces and providing a more efficient process of addressing classroom and teacher shortages. This gave life to his advocacy for fair and equitable access to education, free from regional bias and political patronage considerations.

Education will also be the central strategy of the Aquino-Roxas administration for reducing poverty and building national competitiveness.

He vowed that the Liberal Party, led by its standard-bearer Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino, will put an end to the short-sighted and bankrupt approach of the government in education and reform the education sector.

“Ang unang hakbang sa pagsasaayos sa sektor ng edukasyon ay pagluluklok ng isang tapat, tuwid at malinis na gobyerno (The first step in reforming the education sector is to establish a clean and honest government),” he said.

Roxas, Chairman of the Senate Education Committee, said the characteristics of a leader who can save the education system from collapse are:

• A leader who can say “no” to any commission or bribe, and thus is capable of eradicating corruption that has been gobbling up all government investments in the education system.
• A leader who has a comprehensive, long-term and step-by-step plan on how to reform the education system, “kontra sa tingi-tingi approach ng kasalukuyang gobyerno (versus the piecemeal approach of the incumbent government).”

• A leader who is focused on reforming the education sector as a central strategy towards national development.

The Education Nation, a private sector and concerned citizens’ coalition, launched a list of “10 doable things” to reform the education sector, as well as a quest for an “education president” in 2010.

Roxas stressed that government invests so little in basic education: only about 2% of GDP, which is less than half of the global norm. “At lahat ng ito, lumubog na lang sa buhangin dahil sa malawakang katiwalian at sa mga patakarang napaglipasan na ng panahon(This little investment is just put to waste because of large-scale corruption and backward policies).”

The senator emphasized that the Aquino-Roxas platform for 2010 seeks to uplift education from being “just one of many concerns, to making education the central strategy for investing in our people, reducing poverty and building national competitiveness.”

“Education is a building blocks system. Kaya magsisimula tayo sa Grade 1 at ibuhos ang ating atensyon at resources hanggang sa maayos ito sa loob ng isang taon. Pagkatapos, Grade 2 naman. Hanggang sa maayos natin ang Elementarya sa loob ng anim na taon (We will start by putting all our attention and resources in improving outcomes in Grade 1 within one year. Then Grade 2, until we fix Elementary Education in a span of six years),” he stressed.

Roxas is advocating for Omnibus Education Reforms through Senate Bill No. 2294 which seeks reforms in the education system to meet world standards and to improve education outcomes within ten years, including:

1. Institutionalizing long-term planning through rolling five-year budget plans that are consistent with quantitative and qualitative targets;
2. Mandating the use of the mother tongue as medium of instruction for Grades 1 to 3 (studies have shown that early education in the local language tends to be more effective);
3. A genuine School-Feeding Program for Grade 1 and 2 students in the poorest provinces and municipalities that is free of corruption;
4. Imposition of performance standards through diagnostic tests at the end of Grades 3 and 6 to identify individuals who will require special learning assistance as they proceed to the next grade level;
5. Considering an increase in the years spent in basic education, from 10 to 12 as consistent with global standards (The two other countries who still have a 10-year basic education system are Morocco and Nigeria);
6. Instituting a two-track system in High School, with electives to equip them with the competencies needed as they decide to pursue College or to join the workforce right after graduation;
7. Intensive training and upgrading programs for teachers: a training program on teaching methods using the mother language for teachers in Grades 1 to 3; and upgrading courses for English, Science and Math teachers who are not majors in these subjects; and
8. A compulsory pre-school education year.

The bill seeks an additional P19 billion on top of the regular budget of the Department of Education for it to implement these reforms.

Roxas is the son of the late Senator Gerry Roxas and Judy Araneta, and the grandson of President Manuel A. Roxas. He graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1974 and the Wharton School of Economics at the University of Pennsylvania in 1979. Before entering public service, MAR worked as an investment banker, mobilizing venture capital funds for Small and Medium Enterprises.

Roxas resigned from the House of Representatives following his appointment as Trade and Industry Secretary under the Estrada administration in 2000. In 2004, all the hard work paid off when he was elected to the Senate with 20 million votes, the largest ever obtained by a candidate in any Philippine election.

Roxas is married to broadcast journalist Korina Sanchez and has a son from a previous relationship.

This writer personally campaigned for Roxas in 2004 and was behind the idea of leafleting among mass-goers in Baclaran on Wednesdays, Quiapo on Fridays, and St. Jude on Thursdays, and among students in Manila-based universities and colleges. I conducted voluntary house-to-house leaflet and poster distribution even though it was not part of my job simply because I truly believed he deserved to win. It was an honor and a pleasure that I was able to lend my assistance to his NCR political officer in gathering all the senior citizens of QC and attending rallies/caucus on Roxas’s behalf.

With the overwhelming support of people who want a better Philippines, Roxas might just be the country’s next Vice President.

Modern mom to four kids, Megan takes pride and finds joy in being a stay-at-home mom. She is a graduate of Communication Arts with a post-grad degree in Bachelor of Laws, but has put her career in government service temporarily on hold to personally take care of her growing children Megan blogs at Over A Cup of Coffee.

Photo: “Philippine Congress Joint Session on Maguindanao Martial Law” by Victor Villanueva, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved