CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines—When Mar Roxas answered why he wants to be the next president in the presidential debate here, he also gave the apt answer to his critics calling him an elitist.
“Bakit ko gustong maging pangulo?” said the administration presidential bet before the audience of 500 people during his turn to give his closing statement at the first presidential debate organized by the Commission on Elections, GMA Network and Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Then his voice broke when he said: “Maraming mga pagkakataon sa buhay ko alam ko wala sa mamamayang Pilipino. May trabaho ako. May naipon ako. Alam kong maayos ang kinabukasan ng anak ko dahil nakapag-aral siya.”
“‘Pag may nagkasakit sa pamilya namin kampante ako na may gagamot sa kanila hindi ko pinoproblema ang kakainin ko sa bukas,” said Roxas.
The standard-bearer of the Liberal Party continues to lag behind his rivals in the presidential race supposedly because of the perception that he has no connection with the poor as he came from a wealthy family.
He repeated the question: “Bakit ko gustong maging pangulo?”
“Dahil gusto ko maging ganito rin ang buhay niyo—malaya sa gutom, malaya sa takot at malayang mangarap,” continued Roxas.
The former Interior secretary said he wants to liberate the Filipinos from fear and hunger if they give him the chance to be their president.
And if he fails to do that, Roxas said he would be ashamed to face his parents, his son and his countrymen.
“Nahihiya akong gawin, mahihiya ako harapin ang aking magulang, ang aking anak, kayo mismo kung hindi ko gagawin ang lahat para mangyari ito,” he said.
Before Roxas decided to enter politics, he was an investment banker at the Allen and Company in New York. He eventually became an assistant vice president for the bank.
Aside from the continuation of the administration’s “Daang Matuwid,” the platform of Roxas and LP’s vice presidential bet Leni Robredo focuses on creating more jobs and supporting citizens in the grassroots improve the lives of Filipinos.
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