MANILA, Philippines — Former Interior Secretary and opposition senatorial candidate Mar Roxas on Friday vowed to work harder in seeking a return to the Senate, after taking a few weeks off the campaign trail to look after his newborn twins.
“Unang una okay lang yan, taas-baba naman parati ang mga surveys. Pero alam ko rin na nawala ako halos 20 days para sa family, sinundo ko yung pamilya ko. Okay lang iyan, may one month pa naman so campaign pa more,” he said in an ambush interview after an event in Quezon City.
“Work harder. Campaign harder […] So just work hard,” he added.
According to the latest Pulse Asia survey, Roxas slid from the 9th to 16th spot.
Among Otso Diretso candidates, only Roxas and re-electionist Senator Bam Aquino were in the list of possible winners.
Roxas and his wife, broadcaster Korina Sanchez recently brought home their twins, after spending some time in the United States.
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Before the ambush interview ended, Roxas was again asked whether he would now join the Otso Diretso in the upcoming sorties.
Roxas, however, dodged the question.
“Well I am going to campaign as hard as I can in the next 30 days,” he said.
Roxas has been notably absent in Otso Diretso sorties, having been with the team only two occasions: first in a pre-campaign period sortie in his hometown Roxas City, Capiz, and another during the campaign kick-off in Naga City, Camarines Sur.
Talks of discord mounted during the first leg of the campaign kick-off held in Caloocan City, when activist-comedienne Mae Paner asked Roxas to extend more support to his fellow opposition bets.
READ: Mar Roxas, Bam Aquino deny rift among opposition senatorial bets
Roxas and his campaign manager, Caloocan 2nd District Rep. Edgar Erice, however, dismissed the reported rift and said saying that Roxas has a tradition of starting campaigns in Capiz.
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READ:‘Otso Diretso’: Roxas absence in Caloocan sortie not an issue