Presidential candidate Mar Roxas gets a kiss from wife Korina Sanchez. MARIANNE BERMUDEZ/PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER
The camp of presidential candidate Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte hit administration standard-bearer Manuel “Mar” Roxas II and his wife TV broadcaster Korina Sanchez-Roxas for supposedly using government money to bankroll Roxas’ presidential campaign.
Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) spokesperson Paola Alvarez said on Thursday that Roxas totally missed the point why his wife is drawing flak for participating in the distribution of agricultural equipment and checks in the events of the Department of Agriculture (DA).
READ: Is Korina Sanchez working for Department of Agriculture?
“It’s not wrong for broadcaster Korina Sanchez to campaign for her husband Mar Roxas, but it’s immoral, unethical and possibly illegal for her or Roxas to use government resources to do so,” Alvarez said in a statement.
The Duterte camp issued the statement in response to Roxas’ claim that there is nothing wrong for his wife to campaign for him.
READ: Roxas defends Korina: Is it wrong for my wife to campaign for me?
A visibly-irked Roxas said in an interview that his wife is using her private vehicle and money in campaigning for him.
Alvarez then hit Roxas’ low survey numbers, saying that the Liberal Party is funneling government money to save Roxas’ campaign.
“The point which Mar missed completely is that the Liberal Party must not use taxpayers’ money or government resources to boost his campaign now wallowing near rock bottom. This is certainly a ‘duh’ moment which is lamentable coming from a presidential candidate,” she said.
Last week, Sanchez participated in the distribution of checks and farm equipment worth P611 million in Tagum City. She has previously joined the same DA events in North Cotabato and Pampanga.
In campaigns following the attacks on Sanchez, Roxas was constantly asked by locals why he is not joined by his wife in wooing voters.
Roxas would only respond with a laugh.
The results of the latest Pulse Asia poll, which was released on March 9, showed Duterte beating Roxas with a three-point difference (22 percent and 19 percent, respectively). IDL