Roxas lauded for transparency in forum

Liberal Party standard-bearer Mar Roxas on Tuesday drew applause when he encouraged the audience to ask him questions during a presidential forum while other personalities would normally avoid them.

Saying the act showed his transparency, participants in the forum hosted by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) lauded Roxas for taking more questions.

Apart from Roxas, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Vice President Jejomar Binay, and Sen. Grace Poe also graced the PCCI forum held at Marriott Hotel in Pasay City.

Businessman Ruben de Lara was the first to raise his hand when Roxas asked the forum moderator, journalist Coco Alcuaz, if he could hear some businessmen ask him questions.

“Let me congratulate Secretary Mar for allowing this open forum. A person is transparent when he is ready to (take questions) and doesn’t try avoiding them,” said De Lara, drawing louder applause for Roxas from the crowd.

Roxas, who was formerly an investment banker, gamely answered questions about the information and communication technology industry and even the spiritual aspect of his life.

Roxas said in his message that speaking before businessmen would always feel like a “homecoming” to him.

In between the open forum with Alcuaz, his responses to some of the questions elicited claps from the audience.

After his turn, Roxas was mobbed by the forum participants who scrambled to take a picture with him as he exited the hall.

When INQUIRER.net asked one of the businessmen, who only identified himself as Mr. Perez, of his thoughts on the expo, he said he was impressed by how Roxas spoke during the forum.

“He is the most credible candidate for me. For me, he is the best choice and the intelligent vote,” Perez said.

The participant, who had also taken a “selfie” with Roxas, added that he did not like how Santiago responded to the questions in the forum.

“In fact, I walked out during Miriam’s speech. She was talking garbage. She was not able to defend why she joined forces with the son of dictator Marcos,” he said.

During the open forum with Santiago, she urged critics to give her running mate Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. a chance to redeem himself. Julliane Love de Jesus/RC

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