Jorgea Viktoria M.

Endaya
XI St. Candida Maria de Jesus

Mar Roxas: Continuing the Tuwid na Daan

This 2016, is the year of elections for the Philippines. A new president and vicepresident, new set of senators, a new government for the next six years. Many candidates for
these positions have released several advertisements vying for citizens votes. Being a minor, I
am not yet eligible to vote in this years elections but if given the chance to vote for our future
president, I would choose Manuel Mar Araneta Roxas II who is the presidential candidate of
the Liberal Party and is running with Leni Robredo as his vice-president.
'Mr. Palengke' is Senator MAR Roxas, the son of the illustrious Senator Gerry Roxas,
and the grandson of the venerable President Manuel Roxas whose public service careers have
greatly benefited the country. MAR 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.
MAR's public service life began in the House of Representatives in 1993. After his
congressional stint, he was appointed as Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry;
and then in 2004, he was elected to the Senate with a staggering 20 million votes, the largest
ever obtained by a candidate in any Philippine election. And now, he is running for president
with the help and support of the current president, President Noynoy Aquino.
You may be asking, Why would you vote for Roxas? Why not vote for another candidate
like Duterte? Well, I believe that Roxas can handle a bigger population better since he has held
other national positions such as being a senator and DILG secretary. In this case, he has
catered his services to an estimated 100 million Filipinos while Duterte, being the mayor of
Davao has only catered to about 10 million people. Another reason as to why Roxas would be
better is because he has many years of experience in working in a national office under his belt.
Yes, Duterte also has a lot of years of experience yet this experience is only in one local area.
One thing they both have in common is they both have brought an impact to their respective
areas while in office. Roxas has implemented several Bills such as Affordable Medicine and
Amendments to the Roxas Law. Duterte has implemented the prohibition of drinking and selling
alcoholic beverages between the hours of 1pm-8pm and firecracker ban.
In Roxas campaign advertisements, it can be noticed that he does not make any
concrete promise regarding a certain problem or issue in our country. Instead, he vows to
continue our current President Aquinos advocacy, Ang Tuwid na Daan. He vows to continue
Aquinos programs and legacy for the continuing improvement of the country. Although no
promises were made regarding projects, there was assurance made by him that he is not an
abuser, not a stealer and is simple and honest. These traits will have to be looked out for
throughout his presidency if ever he wins the elections.
If ever Roxas does get elected, I believe there will be a positive impact to the countrys
development since he will be following in Aquinos footsteps and continuing some of his

programs, there will be consistency and continuity established which can help in improving
these programs and allowing the country to improve further. Another effect could be the lack of
importance given to some issues since first, Roxas can sometimes be too laid back or has a
lack of urgency and second because he does not have a plan for these issues as stated before.
Among other presidential candidates, Roxas is the best choice for the position. He has
the experience, the drive, the passion, the education, the ability to communicate and relate with
co-citizens, and he has good principles. Mar Roxas is also supported and endorsed by our
current President Aquino which means Aquino believes that Roxas has all the right qualities to
be the next president of the country. With the right guidance, right choices and passion to serve
the country, Roxas will be a great president.

SOURCES: https://www.senate.gov.ph/senators/sen_bio/roxas_bio.asp