‘Political color’ queries irk Roxas
CATBALOGAN CITY—Interior Secretary Mar Roxas sought to draw the line between his political ambition and his job as head of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), expressing irritation when asked by reporters here if his distribution of jeepneys to police offices could be construed as part of his political campaign as usually done by government officials seeking elective positions.
“You in media, you always put political color on the things I do,” he told reporters when he was asked if his trip to the city, one of the poorest in the country, is part of his campaign to increase his popularity rating.
Roxas was in Samar province to distribute a jeepney each to the province’s 23 towns for the use of their police forces.
A ceremony for the distribution of the jeepneys was held at the provincial gym and attended by mayors and police chiefs.
Roxas insisted that his visit to Samar and other parts of the country was part of his job as head of the DILG and not part of his bid to increase his popularity rating, which recent surveys showed was lagging far behind other supposed candidates for President next year.
“Am I not with the DILG?” he told reporters here.
He said media, instead of putting political color to his activities, should view his actions as part of his job.
“I think it is unfair for you to put malice or attribute intrigue to my visit here,” said Roxas, the presumptive presidential candidate of the ruling Liberal Party.
But although he castigated reporters here for attributing politics to his visit, he took in questions about politics.
He confirmed meeting with Sen. Grace Poe, who is being wooed by President Benigno Aquino III to run for higher office as an administration candidate next year, near the toilet of Edsa Shangri-La Hotel in Mandaluyong City, in Metro Manila, but described it as just a “chance encounter.”
Roxas said he and Poe met while he was on his way to the men’s room and Poe was coming out of the lady’s room.
“We know each other so we had a short talk,” said Roxas. He declined to provide more details, though.
While Roxas continues to play coy about running for President next year, two local chief executives have cast their lot on the DILG chief.
Negros Occidental Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. said he would deliver his province’s votes for Roxas.
Marañon said when Roxas ran, but lost for Vice President in 2010, the province gave him 516,480 votes, more than what President Aquino received in the province. The Roxas matriarch, Judy Araneta, is from Negros Occidental.
Marañon said Mr. Aquino’s virtual endorsement of Roxas, made when the President said he believed that Roxas is still the best embodiment of “Daang Matuwid,” could drum up more support for the DILG chief.
Asked about Roxas’ low ranking in the surveys, Marañon said it is better to start rising from the bottom instead of peaking early and then plummeting. With reports from Carla P. Gomez and Ralph Mijares, Inquirer Visayas
