Roxas ready to debate with Duterte on national issues

MANILA, Philippines – Liberal Party (LP) presidential candidate Manuel Roxas II has another challenge for Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte – but this time, there’s no need for any of them to get physical.

After a series of ugly verbal exchanges with the mayor that threatened to degenerate into a slapping match, fisticuffs or even a gun duel, Roxas yesterday said he is ready to debate with Duterte on issues that matter to Filipinos.

When asked for reaction to the Commission on Election’s decision to accept the substitution of Duterte as standard bearer of the Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), Roxas said: “That’s good. Now, we can debate on where we will bring the country.”

“I won’t back down on him. Anytime. We can do it now. Let’s do it now. He might change his mind later on,” he added.

Roxas said his campaign would focus on key issues rather than on bickering with political foes.

Duterte’s taunting and threatening to slap Roxas for the latter’s allegedly lying about his Wharton degree sparked the verbal tussle between the two.

Roxas, in response, denied Duterte’s claim and said the Davao City mayor should let himself get slapped if his allegations would be proven to be false.

But Duterte said it was Roxas’ pronouncement that Davao’s peace was a myth that angered the mayor.

The LP presidential candidate later said he and Duterte should just engage in a fistfight, as a slapping match is for girls. Not to be outdone, Duterte said he and Roxas should just face off in a gun duel.

“For us, the issue of where we will bring the country is very important. We know the meaning and the ways to attain inclusive growth,” the LP standard bearer said.

He said inane issues have no place in intelligent discourse and should be left for Duterte to address.

“If issues are this shallow, perhaps you should ask him about them,” he said in Filipino in a chance interview in Pampanga.

Roxas said he is open to the proposal of Vice President Jejomar Binay that candidates observe a verbal ceasefire.

“In fact, it should not be limited to the Christmas season. In 2016, that is what you can expect from us. We will focus on the issues,” he said.

Both Roxas and Duterte drew flak for engaging in a word war instead of explaining their platforms and stance on key issues.

True Wharton grad

Meanwhile, an official of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) has confirmed that Roxas is an alumnus.

In response to an e-mail sent by The STAR, Wharton media relations director Peter Winicov said the university registrar has confirmed that Roxas graduated Bachelor of Science (BS) in Economics major in Finance at Wharton in 1979.

“The word ‘graduate’ and ‘alumnus’ are synonymous,” Winicov said.

“Wharton offers both undergraduate and MBA (Master of Business Administration) degrees. Mr. Roxas received his undergraduate degree,” he added.

Winicov’s statement confirms Roxas’ earlier claims that he is a graduate of Wharton.

In proving that he is a Wharton graduate, Roxas presented a directory of alumni that includes his name. A list of notable alumni published in the university’s website also showed he was a Wharton graduate.

The list, published in 2002 when Roxas was still trade secretary of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, also carried his yearbook photo.

Wharton, the oldest business school in the world widely known for its MBA program, also offers an economics program for undergraduates.

Various Duterte supporters pointed out that Roxas’ educational background was misleading as Wharton is known for its MBA program.

A WikiLeaks document circulating online also showed that even US diplomats thought that Roxas has a Wharton MBA.

Roxas, however, never claimed to have earned an MBA.

In his official campaign website, he even used “Wharton School of Economics” instead of the official “Wharton School of Business.”

The same phrasing of his educational background was used in his profile on the Senate website.

The confusion was compounded by the fact that UPenn offers two types of undergraduate programs in economics.

The Wharton School offers a BS degree, while the UPenn’s College of Arts and Sciences also offers a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Economics program. – Janvic Mateo