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Manuel “Mar” Araneta Roxas II packs quite the political pedigree. He is the son of Senator Gerry Roxas and the grandson of President Manuel Roxas, the first president of the third Philippine Republic. Mar’s late brother Dinggoy, a congressman from Capiz, was actually the one following in their father’s and grandfather’s political footsteps. Fate, however, seemed to have other plans. Dinggoy’s death in 1993 prompted Mar to run in a special election to replace his brother. He won and became a congressman. This year, he is now seeking the presidency, here are ten reasons to vote for Mar Roxas:
1) He is a product of prestigious schools both here and abroad. He graduated from the Ateneo de Manila in 1974 and then majored in Finance at the Wharton School of Economics at the University of Pennsylvania in 1979.
2) He is an economist. With the country enjoying a 6.3% GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth in the last quarter of 2015, perhaps an economist at the helm is needed to maintain this growth. The World Economic Forum, held in Davos, Switzerland in 1996, recognized Roxas for being “one of the Global Leaders of Tomorrow who is expected to shape the future.” Before being elected as Congressman, Roxas worked as an investment banker in New York. He specialized in infusing venture capital into small and medium enterprises. At the firm Allen & Company, he worked his way to eventually become an assistant vice president.
3) Roxas served three consecutive terms as Congressman from 1993 to 2000. He even became Majority Leader. His most notable contribution is RA 7880, called the Roxas Law, which ensures equal distribution of education capital among all provinces. This law aims to eliminate regional bias and patronage politics.
4) He also authored or co-authored the following bills: RA 8759, which established in all municipalities a Public Employment Service Office, where information on job opportunities within the region are posted and which facilitated employment; RA 8748, an amendment to the Special Economic Zone Act, which allocated to the municipality or city 2% out of the 5% tax collected from the establishment of ecozones; RA 8756, which spelled out incentives for establishing regional headquarters that encouraged investment and the operation of multinational companies, which in turn generates job opportunities.
