Former Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II, who lost to President Rodrigo Duterte in the 2016 elections, has declared his preparedness to return to public service and serve the country again.
In a video posted on his official Facebook account on Monday, Roxas said he is ready to go back to politics and offered a “helping hand” amid the country’s accelerating inflation due to rising prices of goods and services.
“Kung sa tingin nyo, makakatulong pa ako, handa ako. Inooffer ko muli ang sarili ko sa inyo. At hinihingi ko rin ang tulong niyo dahil hindi ko kaya ito nang nag-iisa,” Roxas said.
“And so here we are, I don’t have any quit in me and I won’t quit on our country,” he added.
Two sources told the Inquirer on Monday that Roxas is aiming for a Senate seat in the 2019 midterm elections.
READ: Roxas ends ‘semi-retirement;’ to run for Senate seat – sources
“Tanggap ko man ang [pagkatalo ko], alam ko rin na hindi ginugusto o inaasahan ng marami ang sitwasyon na ‘yon. Naging mas mahirap ang buhay, mga presyo ng bilihin nagsitaasan. Bigas, pagkain, kuryente, gasolina, pamasahe, pati tubig maraming nagsasabing mas nagugutom sila. Maraming nagsasabi nawawalan sila ng pag-asa,” he said.
“Apart from disappointment, may dahilan ba na ipagkait ko ang tulong ko sa mga nangangailangan? Wala. Apart from pride, may dahilan ba na hindi ako mag-extend ng helping hand? Wala,” Roxas said.
Roxas noted that in confronting his “crisis of conscience,” he decided to serve the country again.
In 2004, Roxas topped the senatorial elections with nearly 19.4 million votes. After placing second to President Rodrigo Duterte in the May 2016 national elections, Roxas had stayed away from politics and the public eye. /kga