By Toots Ople I knew it was coming but was stunned just the same when I heard it. Claiming my space in the crowded Gabaldon room of Club Filipino, I saw him enter the room, my former boss, Mar Roxas in blue, smiling and with a sparkle in his eyes. If he was in pain, he didn’t show it. Butch Abad, campaign manager of Noynoy Aquino in 2007 and of Mar for 2010, opened the press conference. Liberal Party chairman emeritus Sen. Jovito Salonga was seated with Mar at the presidential table. The heat was rising as warm bodies jostled to get the best shot, or have the main speakers directly in their line of vision. Suspense was palpable. Mar stood up and read a prepared statement. Short and sweet. Country above self, he said. Noynoy wanted to carry the torch. Even before his speech was over, the new LP presidential bet came in and joined the main figures at the presidential table. No Q & A. In a matter of minutes, the torch was passed, and Mar of those silly padyak ads became Mar the selfle...

By Dennis Carcamo Philippine Star MANILA, Philippines -- Liberal Party president Sen. Mar Roxas announced today (Sept. 1) he is giving way to Sen. Noynoy Aquino III to be their party’s standard bearer in the 2010 presidential elections. "I'm now announcing that I'm supporting the candidacy of Noynoy Aquino," Roxas said in a hastily called press conference at the jampacked Gabaldon Room in Club Filipino, Greenhills, San Juan City. He said the decision was initially difficult for him, but he chose to make the sacrifice for the sake of unity. "Country first before self… I choose to lead unity not division," Roxas said. Also at the event were Reps. Ruffy Biazon, Erin Tañada, Riza Hontiveros-Baraquel, and Nereo Acosta, Ang Ladlad Party List Chairman Danton Remoto, and former cabinet officials Dinky Soliman (DSWD), Chito Gascon (DepEd), Juan Miguel Luz (DepEd), Liwayway Vinzons-Chato (BIR) and Avelino Cruz (DND).

By Senator Mar Roxas Club Filipino, 1st of September 2009 Country above self. Bayan bago ang sarili.Iyan ang habilin ng aking lolo, President Manuel Roxas. Our nation is in trouble. Leadership is bankrupt. Institutions are in disarray. People are hungry. Noynoy Aquino and I share the same outrage over the mess we are all in, the same way we share solution – clean, honest, selfless public service. Marami at matindi and nga problem ng bansa. Kailangan nating ayusin. Matindi ang kalaban. We need a determined force for good far stroinger than the festering evil around us. We need to fight just as our own fathers fought dictatorship, and just as both died believing that good will conquer evil. Noynoy and I want to make a difference, but we also know that we need to unite to achieve what we want. I am the President of the Liberal Party. It is within my power to preside over a potentially divisive process or to make the party a bridge for the forces of change. I choose to lead unity, not divi...

Mar: Eye on the prize SKETCHES By Ana Marie Pamintuan (The Philippine Star) August 12, 2009 12:00 AM In a sprawling compound within the Araneta Center, Judy Araneta-Roxas lives in the house closest to the main gate. The house, with an unimposing façade, has her stamp all over it, from the family photographs to paintings of herself and her late husband, Sen. Gerardo Roxas. Priceless paintings by Juan Luna and Vicente Manansala adorn the living room, which opens out into a spacious garden. It’s the kind of house, reeking of old money, that you usually find in Forbes Park. But this is right in the heart of Cubao, Quezon City. The only one who can have this kind of spacious accommodations in the heart of Araneta Center, which includes Farmers’ Market and several shopping malls, is the family that owns the commercial center. This is the favorite joke of former President Joseph Estrada about Judy’s son, Manuel “Mar” Araneta Roxas II, who lives with mom Judy. How can the grandson and namesak...

Roxas, Escudero jump in survey Shows youth vote emerging *** I've said it before in this blog and am saying it now. 2010 will be a youthquake of an election. It will show the tremendous power of young people, of the Internet, of new media. And for those running for senators in 2010 who still thumb their noses down at the young and the tech-savvy, mga kuya, magtanim na kayo ng kamote sa tabi-tabi. *** By Gil C. Cabacungan Jr. Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 19:04:00 03/31/2009 MANILA, Philippines--With a little over a year before the elections, solons said the horse race for the presidency has become too close to call with age and the youth sector emerging as key factors in the people’s choice. Palawan Rep. Abraham Mitra said the surge of Senators Manuel Roxas II and Francis Escudero in the recent surveys showed that the youth vote has started to kick in. "The gain of Mar and Chiz are substantial from previous surveys while almost all of the rest are going down,’’ said M...

MORE TO THE POINT BY Florangel Rosario Braid It is noteworthy that at the 63rd Liberal Party anniversary, LP President Mar Roxas, chose to focus on what it means to be a Liberal – “the responsibility of assuming a clear public duty, the satisfaction it provides - having a reason to live, and a reason to serve the lofty cause of fighting for our people.” What should make every party member proud, he noted, was that since the beginning, the Liberal Party had been at the center in setting up the pillars of independence and the rebuilding of the nation after World War II. Also that the Party was central to the establishment of what is now the centerpiece of the Constitution – social justice. Two transformational initiatives - land reform, and the first minimum wage law, R.A. 4150, were legislated and implemented by the Liberal Party. In the 1970’s, LP leaders were again actively involved in the fight against the dictatorship, in the events before and after Edsa One, and the rejection ...

By Fel V. Maragay Manila Standard Today Senator Mar Roxas is the uncontested presidential contender of the Liberal Party, party leaders said yesterday. “The process of choosing our standard-bearer for the 2010 elections is just a formality we have to go through. Our candidate is Mar Roxas,” said Franklin Drilon, who heads a faction of the second oldest political group. Party bigwigs, including provincial chapter chairmen, took part in a forum on Charter change and a multi-sectoral rally at Plaza Miranda on the occasion of the party’s 63rd anniversary. Another faction headed by Environment Secretary Joselito Atienza denounced Roxas and Drilon for misrepresenting the party. Roxas, national president, thanked his party mates for their “endorsement’ of his presidential plan. “But as president of our party, I have to respect our process. I will have to go through that process. In the meantime, based on the party’s guidelines, we are focusing on public service, not politics,” he said. Roxas ...