President Rodrigo Duterte and former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas (File photos from Philippine Daily Inquirer)
MANILA, Philippines — “You are nothing to me. I can even shoot you for free.”
President Rodrigo Duterte directed this statement on Wednesday to former Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II, who is senatorial aspirant running in the Otso Diretso opposition slate in the May 2019 elections.
Speaking at PDP-Laban’s campaign rally in Isabela province, Duterte said his 2016 presidential elections rival had no loyalty, having served in both the Arroyo and Aquino administrations.
“Just because you are a namesake of a Roxas eh mahusay ka. Itong tao na’to walang loyalty ito. Panahon ni [President Gloria] Arroyo, nandiyan siya. Panahon ni [President Benigno] Aquino [III], nandun siya. Wala ito. Pretends to be somebody. Tao na walang prinsipyo,” he said.
[Just because you are a namesake of Roxas doesn’t mean you’re good. This person has no loyalty. In the time of Arroyo, he was there. In the time of Aquino, he was there. He’s nothing. Pretends to be somebody. He’s a person without principles.]
Actually, Roxas, a grandson of post-World War II President Manuel Roxas, was first appointed to head the Department of Trade and Industry in 2000 by then President Joseph Estrada.
In January 2001, when Estrada was ousted by the so-called Edsa Dos, then President Arroyo reappointed him to the same position.
Then he served as chief of the Department of Transportation and Communications (now simply the Department of Transportation), from July 2011 to October 2012 under the Arroyo administration.
President Aquino then appointed him as chief of the Department of the Interior and Local Government to replace Jesse Robredo, who had died in a plane crash. He headed the DILG from September 2012 to September 2015.
Just last week, President Duterte also ridiculed Roxas, saying he should just a traffic aide, in reference to a viral video showing the latter directing traffic.
READ: Duterte: Mar Roxas should just be a traffic aide
In the same speech, the President also took time to poke fun of the Otso Diretso candidates, who he said had done nothing but to criticize his administration. /atm