Mar Roxas: I will not withdraw from presidential race

Laughing off rumors that he suffered a heart attack a day after his failed “unity” meeting with Sen. Grace Poe, Liberal Party standard-bearer Mar Roxas on Saturday said he was “very much alive” and determined to continue his presidential bid.

In a press conference a few hours before LP’s miting de avance at Quezon Memorial Circle, Roxas said: “Nandito tayo, buhay na buhay, hindi po inatake sa puso, walang karamdaman (We’re here, very much alive, not suffering from a heart attack, without illness).”

Roxas said rumors that he was in critical condition were mere black propaganda.

“Malinaw na malinaw po—tuloy ang laban. Tuloy na tuloy po ang laban (It’s very clear—the fight continues. The fight goes on),” he said.

Roxas made the clarification after Poe rejected his offer to meet and discuss how to stop a “looming dictatorship” under a Rodrigo Duterte presidency.

Duterte is the leading candidate in recent voter preference surveys, followed by Roxas and Poe.

The administration candidate declined to confirm if his call for unity meant that he would ask Poe to withdraw from the race and give way to him.

In a hastily called press conference on Friday, Roxas called on Poe to meet with him for unity. He did not ask Poe to withdraw but hinted that decent leaders should put people first before their political career if needed.

Asked what he planned to ask Poe, Roxas said: “Hindi na natin ‘yan malalaman. Kung ano pang mangyayari diyan, hindi pinaghintulutan, binara ni Senator Grace ito na ang topic naman ay ang kabutihan ng pangkalahatan (We will never know. Whatever happens … it wasn’t given a chance. It’s about everyone’s welfare, but it was shut down by Sen. Grace).”

He added: “Sabi ni Senadora Poe, ‘wala nang dapat pag-usapan pa.’ Nagtataka ako dito dahil, hindi ba mahalaga na pag-usapan natin ‘yung pinakamalaking banta sa ating demokrasya sa nakaraang mga dekadang ito? (Senator Poe said, ‘there is nothing to talk about.’ But isn’t it important to discuss the biggest threat to our democracy since the past decades?)”

From what Duterte had been saying in his political rallies, Roxas said his impending presidency would end democracy in the country.

“Sinasabi niya na papatayin niya lahat ng lumabag sa kanyang utos, lahat ng mga may ibang pananaw sa kanyang pananaw. Sinasabi niya, papasara niya yung Kongreso, yung Senado (He said he would kill those who disobey him, those whose views opposed his. He said he would shut down the Congress and Senate).”

Roxas also noted Duterte’s ties with the communist rebels, adding: “Malinaw kung saan niya tayo dadalhin, tayo naman malinaw na hindi natin gusto ito. Malinaw na ang gusto natin magpatuloy ang demokrasya (It’s clear where he’s bringing us, and it’s clear we don’t want this. It’s clear that we want democracy to continue).”

But Roxas parried insinuations that he called for a unity meeting because he was accepting his defeat in the race.

He said he remained confident that he would win on May 9.