ILOILO City, Philippines – Administration standard-bearer Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II vowed to the 250 mayors attending the Visayas Congress of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) here that he would be the next president from the Visayas.
Most of the mayors gave Roxas a standing ovation and resounding applause after he said, “No one else could say this because I’m the only bet from the Visayas. Join me and I would give you the next president from the Visayas.”
Past Visayan presidents were Sergio Osmeña from Cebu and Carlos Garcia from Bohol.
Roxas also pledged to expand a fair daang matuwid (straight path) program of government during the congress of Visayan mayors under the LMP that was held Thursday at the Kalantiao Hall of Sarabia Manor Hotel and Convention Center in Iloilo City.
“Never ask what is your vest, never ask your party or politics. Everybody is equal. Equal services to all. And also equal implementation of welfare to all. That’s the way of the straight path,” Roxas said in Filipino.
Under the daang matuwid leadership, Roxas said local leaders don’t need to write, don’t need to meet him personally, and don’t need to send pastillas, crab, or milkfish to be remembered.
“From now on your will only hear one thing from Mar Roxas: we are here in the straight path and we have come a long way. We have a clear path and destination and it’s clear how we would get there,” he said.
Roxas said that honest and clean leadership, anchored on empowering the local government units (LGUs), would be his platform for local governance.
Roxas said President Aquino’s endorsement is a big honor for him, but with it comes a big responsibility.
Despite the odds ahead, Roxas said there’s a big difference when he ran, and lost, in the 2010 vice presidential race.
Roxas said then he was running for his ambition to serve the people, but now its different: his mission now is to continue the straight path.
“It is the fight that should be fought. We are on the right path in the end, the daang matuwid will succeed,” he added.
As the head of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Roxas said it has been his approach to recognize that the LGUs and local officials are in the frontlines to provide services to the people. – With Danny Dangcalan