Interior Secretary Mar Roxas. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/JOAN BONDOC
Even without President Aquino’s green light to leave the Department of Interior and Local Government, Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II bade farewell to the league of governors on Thursday.
“Nagpapaalam po ako sa inyo at nais ko pong malaman ninyo at maparating sa inyo na I found our work together to be very very fulfilling, very very rewarding and validating,” Roxas said at the general assembly of the League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP) held at the Discovery Suites in Pasig City.
Two days after the President tapped Roxas as the standard-bearer of the ruling party in 2016, Roxas tendered his resignation as the head of the DILG, but it has not been decided by Aquino when he would accept the latter’s resignation.
Aquino convinced Roxas to stay in the agency “to tackle several urgent concerns at the agency and ensure a proper transition in the DILG before stepping down.”
Since his endorsement, there were calls for Roxas to step down as the DILG chief so that his performing of his duties as DILG secretary would not be misconstrued as Roxas’ part of campaigning.
Since he became the DILG secretary in 2012, Roxas said in his speech that he did his best to put politics aside and prioritize the benefit of each local government unit in the country.
He noted that LGU funds under the DILG’s Bottom-Up Budgeting program and patrol jeeps for police stations have been distributed to provinces regardless of the “political dynamics of each province.”
“At sa lahat ng aming gawain, sinikap namin na maging pantay at mangibabaw parati ang pangkalahatang interes,” he said.
“Through your success, we are able to see our own success and whatever failures, whatever weaknesses that you may have had, nanghihingi po kami ng paumanhin,” he added.