Mar-Garin a healthier team-up

Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II gives his acceptance speech shortly after Philippine President Benigno Aquino III endorsed him as the administration’s standard bearer for the May 2016 presidential elections, Friday, July 31, 2015 at the historic Club Filipino in suburban San Juan, east of Manila, Philippines. The 58-year-old former congressman and senator said he was honored to be endorsed by Aquino of the dominant Liberal Party. AP PHOTO

“Mar-Garin” is a better choice, not for politics, but for health.

Interior Secretary Mar Roxas and Health Secretary Janette Garin both crushed speculations on the likelihood of a political tandem shaping up between them, with the latter saying that she was not throwing her hat into the political ring in 2016.

“With all the speculations as who would be the running mate, if you think about Janette Garin, it will be Mar-Garin,” said Roxas, laughing as he addressed guests of the National Health Summit at Manila Marriott Hotel yesterday. “[It’s] healthier than butter, less cholesterol than butter,” he said.

Mar’s humor

Garin said Roxas was merely humoring the crowd when he brought up the “Mar-Garin” tandem.

In an interview later with reporters, Roxas said he was still waiting for Sen. Grace Poe to respond to the Liberal Party’s (LP) invitation to be his running mate in the 2016 presidential elections under the administration coalition.

“Time will come that she will either accept or reject our invitation. But we invited her to join us in continuing the straight path that [President Aquino started],” said Roxas. “But should she reject it, it will be up to the President and the coalition as to what will be the next step,” he added.

Early this month, President Aquino endorsed Roxas as the ruling LP’s standard-bearer in the upcoming balloting despite his poor performance in the polls. Roxas lost the 2010 vice-presidential election to former Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay.

Third in surveys

Health Secretary
Janette Garin

He is running third in the latest Social Weather Stations survey, behind Binay and Poe.

In his speech as keynote speaker during the Department of Health’s activity, Roxas mentioned that he and Garin had worked together for the passage of the cheaper medicines law when he was still a senator and the latter was representative of the first district of Iloilo.

“We worked very well together at that time [and] we continue to work well together at the executive side of the government,” said Roxas.

In a separate interview, Garin said she really had no plans seeking an elective post in the May 9 balloting next year.

“No, I am not running because I am still with the Department of Health… I’m not one of those considered,” she said.

“I’ll finish my deeds if I still have the confidence of the President. As you can see, we have a series of activities until June 2016 in collaboration with the Department of Education and the Department of the Interior and Local Government,” said Garin.

Staying the course

Garin also stressed that she would stay at the helm of the health agency to ensure that the many programs being implemented under the Aquino administration will be completed by June 2016.

“He (Roxas) was just trying to be funny,” Garin said, but added that the pun had a real health message. Research shows that margarine contains “good” or unsaturated fats which reduce bad cholesterol because it is made from vegetable oils. On the other hand, butter is made from animal fat, containing more saturated fat, she said.

Speaking with reporters later, Roxas praised Garin’s competence and experience in politics but he said he believed that the health secretary would rather continue serving in the health sector.

“We have gone far in the healthcare agenda under the ‘daang matuwid’ and we will continue to protect and defend this against those who want to undo it,” said Roxas.