Manuel "Mar" Araneta Roxas II (; born May 13, 1957) is a
Filipino politician who served as a
Senator of the Philippines
The Senate of the Philippines () is the upper house of Congress of the Philippines, Congress, the bicameral legislature of the Philippines, with the House of Representatives of the Philippines, House of Representatives as the lower house. The ...
. He is the grandson and namesake of former
Philippine President
The president of the Philippines (, sometimes referred to as ) is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in- ...
Manuel Roxas. He served in the
Cabinet of the Philippines
The Cabinet of the Philippines (, usually referred to as the Cabinet or Gabinete) consists of the heads of the largest part of the executive branch of the national government of the Philippines. Currently, it includes the secretaries of Executi ...
as
Secretary of the Interior and Local Government from 2012 to 2015. Previously, he was the
Secretary of Trade and Industry from 2000 to 2003 and
Secretary of Transportation and Communications from 2011 to 2012. He is the son of former Senator
Gerry Roxas.
After graduation from the
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...
, Roxas worked as a banker in New York, mobilizing venture capital funds for
small and medium enterprises
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) or small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are businesses whose personnel and revenue numbers fall below certain limits. The abbreviation "SME" is used by many national agencies and international organizat ...
. He served as the
Representative of the
1st District of Capiz from 1993 to 2000. His stint as congressman was cut short after he was appointed by President
Joseph Estrada as Secretary of Trade and Industry.
He resigned from the position at the height of the
Second EDSA Revolution and was later re-appointed by President
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in her new cabinet. He resigned again to run for a Senate seat in the
2004 election. Campaigning as ''
Mr. Palengke'', he was elected senator with 19 million votes, the highest ever garnered by a national candidate in any Philippine election at that time. Roxas co-authored the Expanded Value Added Tax Law (E-Vat).
Initially one of the leading candidates in the
2010 presidential election, he slid down to become a vice-presidential candidate in order to make way for fellow senator
Benigno Aquino III, who won. Roxas was defeated by
Makati mayor
Jejomar Binay of
PDP–Laban by a margin of 727,084 votes. He filed an
electoral protest before the
Supreme Court of the Philippines
The Supreme Court (; colloquially referred to as the ' (also used in formal writing), is the highest court in the Philippines. It was established by the Taft Commission on June 11, 1901, through the enactment of Act No. 136, which abolished th ...
, with the Court sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal.
On June 7, 2011, Roxas was appointed by President Aquino as Secretary of Transportation and Communications to replace outgoing secretary
Jose de Jesus, and he took office on July 4, 2011.
Afterwards, on August 31, 2012, President Aquino nominated him as Secretary of the Interior and Local Government, replacing
Jesse Robredo who died in a
plane crash.
Roxas was the standard-bearer of the
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world.
The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
for the
2016 presidential election. He was officially endorsed by President Aquino to continue the present administration's reforms, collectively dubbed ''Daang Matuwid'' ("straight path"), which he
formally accepted on July 31, 2015.
On August 3, 2015, Roxas officially tendered his resignation as Secretary of the Interior and Local Government in order to focus on his presidential campaign.
After placing second in the election, Roxas conceded to
Davao City mayor
Rodrigo Duterte on May 10, 2016. He would later attempt a comeback to the Senate in
2019, but lost.
Early life and background
Manuel "Mar" Araneta Roxas II was born on May 13, 1957, in Manila to Judy Araneta (of
Bago, Negros Occidental) and
Gerry Roxas (1923–1982; of
Capiz
Capiz (), officially the Province of Capiz (Capiznon language, Capiznon/Hiligaynon language, Hiligaynon: ''Kapuoran sang Capiz''; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the central part of the Western Visayas Regions of the Philippines ...
), a Representative for Capiz (1957–1963) and a
Senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...
(1963–1972).
Mar is one of the grandchildren of
Manuel Roxas, the first
President of the
Third Philippine Republic (1946–48), and
Trinidad de Leon. The couple married in 1955. He has two siblings: Maria Lourdes (married to Augusto Ojeda and mother of three) and
Gerardo Jr. (1960–1993), a former congressman.
After grade school and high school at the
Ateneo de Manila University, Roxas attended the
[Best Undergraduate Business Programs](_blank)
, ''U.S. News & World Report'', 2014. Retrieved January 29, 2016 Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, majoring in
Economics
Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services.
Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...
and earning a
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...
degree in 1979. After graduation, he worked for seven years as an
investment banker in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, and became an assistant vice president of the
New York-based
Allen & Company.
Following the 1985 announcement by President
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. (September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino lawyer, politician, dictator, and Kleptocracy, kleptocrat who served as the tenth president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled the c ...
of a
snap election, Roxas took
leave of absence to join the presidential campaign of
Corazon Aquino
María Corazón "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (; January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Filipino politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines and the first woman president in the country, from Presidency of Corazon ...
. In September 1986, President
Corazon Aquino
María Corazón "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (; January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Filipino politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines and the first woman president in the country, from Presidency of Corazon ...
went to the United States. Roxas was one of those who organized a series of investment
round-table discussions with the American business community.
From 1986 onwards, Roxas visited the Philippines more frequently and proposed to Allen & Company to set up a branch in Asia, specifically in the Philippines; later his superiors agreed. In 1991, he was stationed in the Philippines with North Star Capitals, Inc. which took public the
Jollibee fast food restaurant chain. In the United States, he participated in the first financing for
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience.
It init ...
and
Tri-Star Pictures.
Congress
Roxas' younger brother, Dinggoy, who represented the
1st District of Capiz, died of
colon cancer in 1993. At the age of 36, he decided to run
in the special election to replace his brother in the seat and won, having been unopposed.
He later became Majority Leader of the
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...
.
His landmark laws include, among others:
*
Republic Act No. 8759 – establishing in all municipalities a Public Employment Service Office which serves as an employment facilitation and information center, and links all job opportunities within the region;
* Republic Act No. 8748 – amending the Special Economic Zone Act by directly allocating to the municipality or city 2% (out of the 5%) gross tax to be collected from the establishments operating in the ecozone and providing for disturbance compensation for persons to be displaced or evicted by publicly owned ecozones;
* Republic Act No. 8756 – incentivizing the establishment of regional headquarters to encourage investment and operation of multinational companies in the country and to generate more jobs.
His tenure in the House was most noted for his principal authorship of Republic Act No. 7880 (Roxas Law), which ensures fair distribution of the education capital budget among all the provinces. This started his advocacy for fair and equitable access to education, free from regional bias and political patronage considerations.
Estrada cabinet
Roxas resigned from the House of Representatives following his appointment as
Secretary of Trade and Industry under the
Estrada administration in 2000, replacing Jose Pardo who was appointed
Secretary of Finance. During his stint, Roxas was named as Chairman of the Information Technology and Electronic Commerce Council, a body formed with the participation of both the government and private sector to monitor the implementation of the E-Commerce Law (Republic Act 8792) and programs pushing for the growth of IT-enabled services. He resigned the position in November, as Estrada was under fire due to
allegations of corruption.
Arroyo cabinet
In January 2001, just days after Estrada
had been overthrown, Roxas was re-appointed to the same office by newly installed President
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
During his four-year stint as DTI Secretary, he pushed for the development of the ''palengke'' (
market) as the basic unit of the economy and the root of progress, advocating not only
consumer welfare and
protection but also sound trade and investment policies, particularly
SME development.
As a proponent of the philosophy of 'palengkenomics', which considers the "palengke" (wet market) as a microcosm of the economy, Roxas conducted weekly monitoring of the prices of prime commodities.
Among his projects were the following palengke-based programs which promoted supply chain efficiencies:
# ''Tamang Timbang, Tamang Presyo'' (Right Scale, Right Price) for consumers,
# ''Presyong Tama, Gamot Pampamilya'' (Right Price, Family Medicine) to make affordable and quality medicines accessible to Filipinos,
# ''Pinoy Pandesal'',
# ''Palengke ng Bayan'' (Market of the Country)
His work regarding trade policy was highlighted during the 2003
WTO meeting in
Cancún,
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
, where he fought for increased market access for Philippine exports, particularly agricultural products and a rationalized Philippine trade regime so that domestic industries would not be harmed.
At a time where computer access was limited to an elite few, Roxas initiated the Personal Computers for Public Schools (PCPS) Program, which distributed over 44,240 desktop computers to 3,428 public high schools all over the Philippines. PCPS computers provided 500,000 high school students with the necessary ICT tools and skills.
Roxas pushed for MSME development through the SULONG (SMEs Unified Lending Opportunities for National Growth) Program, which granted almost ₱26.7 billion on low-interest loans to 281,229 SMEs on its first year.
He was named 'Father of the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)' market in the Philippines, particularly call center operations, by industry stakeholders. From starting out with a mere 2000 jobs at the onset, the IT/BPO industry now provides over a million jobs in the Philippines.
In the year 2000, Roxas was named Chairman of the Information Technology and Electronic Commerce Council. This institution, which was composed of members of the government and the private sector, was formed to monitor the implementation of the E-Commerce Law (Republic Act 8792) and programs pushing for the growth of IT-enabled services.
Senate
On December 10, 2003, Roxas resigned from his post to prepare for his senatorial bid under the banner of the
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world.
The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
in the
2004 elections. Roxas said that he needed to separate his work in DTI from his work as a candidate and added that his resignation did not surprise the President. He was succeeded by
Cesar Purisima, former chairman of the accounting firm
Sycip Gorres Velayo & Co.
Upon winning a seat in the 2004 Senate election, Roxas was proclaimed by the
Commission on Elections as Senator-elect on May 24, 2004, and officially assumed the office at noon of June 30, 2004.
Roxas held assignments on the Senate Committee on Trade and Commerce and Senate Oversight Committee on Optical Media Board serving alongside
Ramon "Bong" Revilla, Jr.
Roxas authored 43 bills and 46 resolutions brought before the
13th Congress in July 2004 and 2007. He filed bills on fighting
smuggling, supporting
labor,
education
Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...
,
economy
An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...
, and
alternative energy.
On February 26, 2006, the Philippines was under a
state emergency after the
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...
claimed that it foiled an alleged ''
coup d'état'' attempt against the administration of Philippine President
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo earlier that same day. Two days later, Roxas called on the government to immediately revoke
Proclamation No. 1017, saying it betrays its own vision of a strong republic and directly attack Philippine democracy.
Roxas voted in favor of the Revised Value-Added Tax Law when it was deliberated in the Senate.
The law was co-authored by other
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world.
The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
members,
Franklin Drilon and
Francis Pangilinan
Francis Pancratius "Kiko" Nepomuceno Pangilinan (; born August 24, 1963) is a Filipino lawyer, politician, and farm owner who is a Senate of the Philippines, senator-elect of the Philippines. He previously served as senator from 2001 to 2013 a ...
. He also voted in favor of the abolition of the
death penalty in the Philippines.
Roxas voted against the
Human Security Act together with Senator
Jamby Madrigal saying that "''the fight against terror requires urgent operational reforms over measures that could impair
civil liberties''". He even warned that the said law poses a danger to the security and rights of every Filipino if there will be no set of implementing rules and regulations laid down.
Roxas' legislative agenda for the
14th Congress is as follows:
* EVAT Funds for Education and Healthcare – He has filed Senate Bill No. 102 (People's Fund Act) to ease the effect of the 12%
E-VAT. The People's Fund would consist of thirty percent (30%) of all proceeds from the VAT collected under Title IV of the National Internal Revenue Code. This portion estimates the share of incremental revenues from
Republic Act No. 9337, the Expanded Value-Added Tax law, which increased to 12% the
VAT and removed the exemption.
* Tax Exemption for Minimum Wage Earners – He has filed Senate Bill No. 103 (Individual Tax Exemption for Minimum Wage Earners Bill) to exempt
minimum wage
A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. List of countries by minimum wage, Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation b ...
earners in the private sector and government workers in Salary Grades 1 to 3, amending certain provisions of
Republic Act No. 8424, otherwise known as the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as amended. As per estimates by the National Wages and Productivity Board, there are 7 million workers earning the
minimum wage
A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. List of countries by minimum wage, Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation b ...
and even below. For him, it is unfair and unjust that the government, under the law, is taking away a portion of their already subsistence-level income.
* Amendments to the Roxas Law – He has filed Senate Bill No. 104 to amend
Republic Act No. 7880, also known as the Fair and Equitable Access to Education Act, to eliminate the problem of classroom shortages in the
Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
, as well as enhancing the process of construction, rehabilitation, replacement, completion, and repair of needed school buildings and classrooms.
* Regulating the Pre-Need Industry – He has filed Senate Bill No. 105 (Pre-Need Industry Act of 2007) to address the absence of a statute that regulates the pre-need industry by establishing the Pre-Need Industry Act of 2007 to govern the operations of firms which issue or sell pre-need plans or similar contracts and investments.
* Anti-Smuggling Bill – He has filed Senate Bill No. 106 (Anti-Smuggling Act of 2007) to amend certain provisions of Presidential Decree No. 1464, otherwise known as the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines, as amended. Under the proposed bill, an Audit and Transparency Group under the Bureau of Customs, headed by a Deputy Commissioner, would regularly inspect and report on the bureau's operational processes, collection and financial reporting, fiscal and personnel performance, system efficiency, internal control, information and communication flow, fraudulent and illegal practices and other related areas. On the basis of these inspections and reports, the Audit and Transparency Deputy Commissioner can initiate investigations of fraud and other graft and corrupt practices in the bureau, and shall recommend to the
Office of the Ombudsman the filing of any cases against personnel and officers involved.
* Lemon Law – He has filed Senate Bill No. 107 (Lemon Law of 2007) to have a one-year period in which buyers of brand-new vehicles can avail of the provisions of this Lemon Law, which allows up to four repairs on the same defect before a replacement or refund of the vehicle can be claimed. For him, it would ensure that the investment on a vehicle is money well-spent.
* SME Magna Carta – He has filed Senate Bill No. 108 (Magna Carta for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) to strengthen
Republic Act No. 6977, the Magna Carta for Small Enterprises. The focus of the amendments of this bill focuses on three points: guidelines, institutional support and organizational support. Guidelines refer to the specific asset size definition, appropriating a definite and regular amount for the Small and Medium Enterprise Development (SMED) Council and increase in the mandatory allocation to lending activities. Institutional support comprises additional government agencies to coordinate SME efforts and formalization of the SME Development Plan. Lastly, organizational support to intensify the powers and increase capitalization of the Small Business and Guarantee Finance Corporation to complement the growing demands for financing. Other features of the bill include formalizing the celebration of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) Week and recognition of outstanding MSMEs.
* Free Information Act – He has filed Senate Bill No. 109 (Free Information Act) to implement the Constitutional guarantee to free access by the people to official information, except when the disclosure of such information would jeopardize other prerogatives of the government, namely, the protection of the privacy of individuals, trade secrets, national security, public order and safety, and foreign diplomatic relations. The bill also proposes the adoption by all government bodies a mechanism wherein all written requests for information shall be responded to within two days, unless proper justification is given by the government body, subject only to the payment of reasonable fees for the viewing or reproduction of such information. To compel disclosure of information, in case a government body refuses access to such information on whatever grounds, the
Office of the Ombudsman would be tapped to hear any citizens' complaints of not being properly assisted by the pertinent government body. Penalties will be levied to officials or employees who knowingly and unjustly refuse to provide access to information, or who consciously release false or misleading information.
* Decriminalizing Libel – He has filed Senate Bill No. 110 (Penalty of Imprisonment in Libel Cases Abolition Bill) to decriminalize libel and limit the venue of filing libel suits. He believes that the approval of the said measure would be a small way by which Congress may help in alleviating the plight of
journalists.
* K–12 Implementation Process - He has filed Senate Bill No. 2294 (Omnibus Education Reform Act of 2008) to strengthen the Philippine education system through timely interventions on the quality of teachers, the medium of instruction used and the evaluation of students' aptitude, among other aspects. It mandates the 9-year implementation process of
K–12 that spanned from May 20, 2008 to June 5, 2017 during the administrations of
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to
Rodrigo Duterte and effectivity of K–12 four years later on April 24, 2012 as part of the process which increase in the number of years in basic education, from 10 years to 12 years as consistent with global standards.
On November 26, 2007, LP National Executive Council officials resolved to appoint him as president of the Liberal Party.
Roxas was to unite the two LP factions and set the stage for his presidential campaign in the 2010 election.
Lito Atienza, however, forthwith questioned Roxas' appointment, attacking the composition of Liberal Party's National Executive Council (NECO) and alleging that the
Supreme Court of the Philippines
The Supreme Court (; colloquially referred to as the ' (also used in formal writing), is the highest court in the Philippines. It was established by the Taft Commission on June 11, 1901, through the enactment of Act No. 136, which abolished th ...
' June 5 resolution ordered the LP leadership's status quo maintenance. Atienza stated: "I have no invitation. They kicked me out of the meeting; How can you (Roxas) unite the party when you take the wrong step?"
Platform
Senator Mar Roxas has taken positions on many national issues since his election as senator during the
2004 Philippine elections.
About the ZTE deal, Roxas introduced a resolution urging President
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to cancel the Philippine government's National Broadband Network (NBN) project with China's
Zhong Xing Telecommunications Equipment (ZTE) Corporation.
Roxas said that the $329.4-million deal "was driven by supply and not by demand" and will not benefit Filipinos. He believes that the cancellation of the deal would not affect the relationship of the Philippines with
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
.
In order to finally put a just closure to national divisiveness, Roxas filed Senate Resolution No. 135 calling on President
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to issue a
pardon to former President
Joseph Ejercito Estrada (popularly known as "Erap") at the appropriate time, in which he said: "The grant of
pardon to Erap on humanitarian grounds should not in any way be construed as condoning corruption, or as diminishing the legal weight of the ruling of the
Sandiganbayan, but serves solely as an embodiment of the people's will for closure on one of the most divisive chapters of our national life."
Regarding the
Japan–Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement, Roxas has said: "In trade negotiations, no deal is always better than a bad deal."
He issued a warning after President
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo pressed on the
Senate to ratify the Japan-Philippine Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) amid concerns aired by
Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
for the early approval.
Roxas was optimistic that the pact would be given serious consideration by the Senate if the government revised the deal to get a better trade-off.
Aquino cabinet
After his election to the Senate in 2004, Roxas was immediately seen as a potential presidential candidate in the
2010 presidential election. While Roxas himself was coy on his plans, the Mar Roxas for President movement gathered steam with the Liberal Party targeting the youth in the run-up to the election. Other signs included the sprouting of Mar Roxas for President spots on the internet and his colleagues endorsing him as the party's standard bearer. Then Senator
Benigno Aquino III declared him as the Liberal Party's
nominee and Former Senator
Jovito Salonga
Jovito Reyes Salonga, Knights of Rizal, KGCR (; June 22, 1920 – March 10, 2016) also called "Ka Jovy," was a Filipino people, Filipino lawyer and politician, as well as a leading opposition leader during the regime of Ferdinand Marcos from th ...
, Chairman Emeritus of the party, once introduced him as "the next President of the Philippine Republic." Senator
Franklin Drilon had also confirmed that Roxas was the party's standard bearer in the election.
However, on September 1, 2009, at the historic Club Filipino in
San Juan, Metro Manila, Roxas delivered a speech at a press conference announcing his decision to withdraw from the race and support the candidacy of Aquino for the presidency. Aquino officially launched his campaign eight days later. On September 21, 2009, Roxas, alongside Aquino, officially announced his candidacy for the vice presidency as the nominee of the Liberal Party for vice president, launching the Aquino-Roxas campaign. On November 28, 2009, Aquino and Roxas filed their certificate of candidacy for
President and
Vice President
A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...
respectively.
He was defeated by
Makati mayor
Jejomar Binay of the
Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP–Laban) by the narrowest margin in the history of the Fifth Republic. Binay's upset victory over Roxas was attributed to the success of the
Aquino-Binay campaign, which began when Senator
Francis Escudero endorsed Aquino and Binay as president and Vice President respectively. This was done without the consent of the two candidates, especially since Escudero, Binay, and Aquino all came from different political parties. Roxas filed an
electoral protest to the
Supreme Court of the Philippines
The Supreme Court (; colloquially referred to as the ' (also used in formal writing), is the highest court in the Philippines. It was established by the Taft Commission on June 11, 1901, through the enactment of Act No. 136, which abolished th ...
at the Presidential Electoral Tribunal. On July 12, 2010, the
Supreme Court after reviewing Roxas'
electoral protest, declared it sufficient in form and substance and the Presidential Electoral Tribunal sent summons to Vice President Binay to file a comment within 10 days upon receipt of the summons.
Roxas also requested the Presidential Electoral Tribunal to order an independent forensic examination of the 26,000
compact flash cards and the
source code
In computing, source code, or simply code or source, is a plain text computer program written in a programming language. A programmer writes the human readable source code to control the behavior of a computer.
Since a computer, at base, only ...
of the PCOS machines used in the 2010 elections. As of August 2015, the case remains in pre-trial stage, with the last action taken by the tribunal dating back to December 2012.
Roxas accepted the offer of Aquino to be appointed as
Secretary of Transportation and Communications, replacing the outgoing Secretary
Jose de Jesus, who had resigned earlier. He took office on June 30, 2011.
His appointment was given
unanimous consent by the
Commission on Appointments on October 12, 2011.
On August 31, 2012, President Aquino appointed him as
Secretary of the Interior and Local Government, replacing
Jesse Robredo, who had died in a
plane crash on the shores of
Masbate Island thirteen days earlier. It was Roxas who announced the death of Robredo and confirmed that the rescue operations for the two pilots, Captain Jessup Bahinting and Nepalese flight student Kshitiz Chand, had been turned into a retrieval operation.
On August 3, 2015, Roxas officially tendered his resignation as Secretary of the Interior and Local Government in order to focus on his presidential campaign. In his resignation letter to President Aquino, he once again thanked him for his endorsement and vowed to "begin the process of turning over in an orderly manner all the matters pending in my office." During his final flag ceremony at
Camp Crame, Roxas bade goodbye to his colleagues and thanked the members of the
Philippine National Police. "It has been my pleasure and a great honor to serve with you I give you my snappy salute", he told police officials present.
Presidential bid

Roxas is the
Liberal Party's standard bearer in the 2016 presidential election. On July 31, 2015, at an event dubbed as "A Gathering of Friends", Roxas formally accepted his party's nomination after he was officially endorsed by President
Benigno Aquino III in the presence of their political allies at the
Club Filipino, where Roxas had announced his decision to withdraw from the 2010 presidential election and give way to Aquino's presidential bid. Aquino also announced his candidacy there on September 9, 2009. In an emotional speech, Roxas declared that he would not deviate from the "straight path" initiated by Aquino in the fight against poverty and corruption.
On the same day, Roxas formally launched his campaign website.
In a speech during which he paid tribute to his late grandfather, President
Manuel Roxas, his late father, Senator
Gerardo Roxas and late brother, Rep.
Dinggoy Roxas, Roxas declared that he would not betray the reforms initiated by the Aquino administration and vowed to continue Aquino's "Daang Matuwid" agenda:
As confetti filled the Cory Aquino Kalayaan Hall and singer-songwriter Noel Cabangon sang "Dapat Ang Pangulo", the official song of the campaign, Aquino raised Roxas' hand after the speech as a sign of complete support for his campaign.
Comeback attempt and political retirement
On October 15, 2018, Roxas announced his return to politics after a two-year hiatus, filing his Certificate of Candidacy the next day for Senator in the
2019 Philippine Senate election. He was named to the
Otso Diretso opposition coalition. However, he ranked 16th in that election and failed to secure a six-year term.
In an interview with ''Sa Totoo Lang'' on
One PH on August 26, 2021, Roxas stated that he is retired from politics, saying that he does not have communications with the 1Sambayan opposition coalition. He would later endorse the unsuccessful
presidential bid of his 2016 running mate, Vice President
Leni Robredo, in the
2022 elections.
On April 15, 2023, Roxas appeared on the commemoration of his grandfather
Manuel Roxas’ 75th death anniversary in
Roxas City, wherein he also met with Vice President
Sara Duterte and former President and incumbent Pampanga Representative
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. On October 6, 2023, Roxas was spotted meeting with President
Bongbong Marcos during a distribution of smuggled rice to beneficiaries in Roxas City. Marcos stated in his speech that they remained friends despite their political differences, noting that their friendship began during their time in New York. In September 2024, Roxas was named as the head of the advisory council of the newly launched
One Capiz local political party.
Personal life
Roxas was previously in a relationship with former beauty queen Maricar Zaldarriaga, with whom he has a son, Paolo Gerardo.
In 2002, he met
Korina Sanchez, a news anchor from
ABS-CBN. In the April 25, 2009, episode of the ABS-CBN noontime show ''
Wowowee'' where Sanchez appeared as a guest co-host alongside
Willie Revillame, Sanchez and Roxas announced their engagement. Sanchez took a leave of absence from her duties at ABS-CBN in May 2009. They married on October 27, 2009, at a ceremony at
Santo Domingo Church in
Quezon City
Quezon City (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...
, where Roxas' former running mate in the 2010 election, then-Senator (later President)
Benigno Aquino III, was one of the couple's primary wedding sponsors. The
Manila Philharmonic Orchestra and the
Philippine Madrigal Singers provided the music during the wedding. Other notable performers included
Basil Valdez, Robert Seña, and
Jamie Rivera. The couple owns a black
labrador retriever and two
schnauzer dogs.
As of 2014, he has a declared net worth of .
In 2019, they announced the arrival of their twins who were born through
surrogacy
Surrogacy is an arrangement whereby a woman gets pregnant and gives birth on behalf of another person or couple who will become the child's legal parents after birth. People pursue surrogacy for a variety of reasons such as infertility, danger ...
named Pepe Ramon Gerardo Manuel Denzel and Pilar Judith Celia Ester Korina.
Public image
Hoaxes and misinformation
Roxas has been a frequent target of numerous hoaxes in social media, notably from rival political groups such as
supporters of Rodrigo Duterte. These were mostly intended to mock his ''
Mr. Palengke'' image, which has been increasingly viewed as insincere due to his wealthy background. A notable incident is an image presenting Roxas holding a plate, supposedly to collect drink water from a water pump, which was circulated as early as 2015. The image became viral ahead of both elections in 2016 and 2019.
Another image shows a
barong tagalog-clad Roxas on board an
MRT train that, although not manipulated, was often misrepresented as a recent picture as of 2018.
Awards
* 1996: Roxas was recognized by the
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental organization, international advocacy non-governmental organization and think tank, based in Cologny, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German ...
as "one of the Global Leaders of Tomorrow who are expected to shape the future."
* 1999: Roxas was named by the
Asiaweek Magazine as "Political Leader of the New Millennium."
* 2002: The
Singapore Government has awarded Roxas as the 16th
Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew (born Harry Lee Kuan Yew; 16 September 1923 – 23 March 2015), often referred to by his initials LKY, was a Singaporean politician who ruled as the first Prime Minister of Singapore from 1959 to 1990. He is widely recognised ...
Exchange Fellow.
* February 16, 2007: E-Services Philippines awarded Roxas with the E-Champion Award recognizing his pioneering efforts and leadership in making the Philippines a popular outsourcing destination of choice.
* July 15, 2009: Roxas was awarded by the Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP) for his pioneering contributions to the Philippine BPO industry.
* September 18, 2007: Roxas was conferred with the Palanca Awards Gawad Dangal ng Lahi by CP Group Chairman Carlos Palanca III, Palanca Foundation Director General Sylvia Palanca-Quirino and Deputy Director General Christine Quirino-Pacheco for serving as an exemplary leader and role model to the Filipino.
* September 12, 2013: The Province of
Bulacan recognized Roxas as the 6th Natatanging Dangal ng Lipi Awardee, the province's highest recognition, for his outstanding contributions to government service.
* February 8, 2016: Roxas received the Gawad Bagonhon Award for government service, during the 50th anniversary of the city charter of
Bago, Negros Occidental.
* November 27, 2018: Roxas was awarded the Freedom Flame Award by the
Friedrich Naumann Foundation in recognition of his advanced democratic ideals.
References
External links
*
Official Website
Senate of the Philippines – Mar Roxas Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roxas, Mar
1957 births
Araneta family
Ateneo de Manila University alumni
20th-century Filipino economists
Hiligaynon people
Liberal Party (Philippines) politicians
Living people
Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Capiz
Politicians from Capiz
Politicians from Quezon City
Candidates in the 2016 Philippine presidential election
Candidates in the 2010 Philippine vice-presidential election
Mar
Filipino people of Spanish descent
Secretaries of the interior and local government of the Philippines
Secretaries of trade and industry of the Philippines
Secretaries of transportation of the Philippines
Senators of the 13th Congress of the Philippines
Senators of the 14th Congress of the Philippines
Wharton School alumni
Visayan people
Benigno Aquino III administration cabinet members
Arroyo administration cabinet members
Estrada administration cabinet members
Majority leaders of the House of Representatives of the Philippines