MANILA, Philippines – Senators on Tuesday welcomed the reported impending appointment of former Senator Manuel “Mar” Roxas II as head of the Department of Transportation and Communication although one warned that the appointment could either make or break him.
“E di mabuti,” Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile said as he expressed confidence of Roxas’ immediate confirmation at the powerful Commission on Appointments.
“Kasama namin yan eh….Alam nya yung trabaho,” he said of Roxas, who ran and lost to Vice President Jejomar Binay during the 2010 May elections.
Senator Serge Osmena, who ran under the Aquino-Roxas ticket in last year’s elections, also welcomed the impending appointment of the former senator.
“Good, good. That’s an excellent , excellent choice,” Osmena said in a separate interview.
Like Enrile, Osmena is also confident that Roxas would get the nod of the CA.
“He [Roxas] will pass with the breeze,” he said.
But Osmena warned that the DoTC was a very difficult office to run and this could make or break Roxas, who is said to be eyeing the presidency in 2016.
Roxas originally wanted to run for president in 2010 but gave way to then senator and now President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.
So if Roxas will still pursue his presidential ambition, Osmena said the former senator must show excellent public service so people would look up to him.
“But he should not keep an eye to the presidency because he will be making too many compromises and then it will bring him down,” said Osmena.
“Yes, it’s a very difficult department to run and we will see, this will make or break Mar,” he added.