AUGUST 4 — “Ngayon, buong katapatan, buong-loob, at buong-paninindigan kong tinatanggap ang tawag ng Daang Matuwid.”
This was the message of Secretary of the Interior and Local Government Mar Roxas as he accepted the endorsement and support of President Aquino on Friday at the jam-packed Corazon Aquino Kalayaan Hall of the historic Club Filipino in San Juan City on July 31, 2015.
“Simula pa lang ito. Laban pa rin tayo,’” Roxas said, echoing the statement of President Aquino during his last State of the Nation Address (SONA) last Monday.
With the whole nation as witness, Roxas said that he is ready to take on the challenge of sustaining the reforms initiated by the Aquino administration for the Filipino people.
“Ako si Mar Roxas, tinatanggap ko ang hamon ng ating mga boss: itutuloy, palalawakin, at ipaglalaban ang Daang Matuwid,” he stressed.
Close to a thousand members of the audience from various sectors cheered as Aquino cited Roxas as the “most capable and the most worthy” candidate for a successor.
In turn, Roxas vowed that he will not fail Aquino nor betray the legacy of the president’s parents, the late Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. and late President Cory Aquino.
“Napakalaking karangalan nito, at sumusumpa ako ngayon: Hindi ko dudumihan ang pangalan nila (Ninoy and Cory). At lalong hindi ko dudumihan ang pangalan po ninyo (PNoy),” Roxas said.
“Sa pag-endorsong ito, ipinapasa mo rin ang pangarap at lakas ng bawat isa sa isandaang milyong Pilipino. Mga Boss, hindi ko sasayangin ang tiwala ninyo,” he added.
In five years of serving as cabinet secretary of the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Under the Aquino administration, Roxas displayed excellence, honesty, and integrity in dispensing his duties and responsibilities.
To date, his name remains untainted by any corruption allegations, especially in performing as the president’s alter ego in the departments he was assigned to lead.
The Aquino government has been successful in improving the country’s fiscal management by eliminating red tape, removing twisted bureaucracy practices, and instituting reforms to effectively cascade government services down to the ordinary citizens.
Because of Daang Matuwid, business opportunities have significantly increased in the country, generating enough funds to expand public health services for families that did not have access to basic healthcare before.
Another government achievement is the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), a conditional cash transfer program that addresses the needs of poor families as they keep their children in school.
Those who gave testimonials to these government achievements were Ramon Maranon, an organic farmer from Guimaras; Marvin Jason Rodriguez, a representative from the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry; Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte Mayor Rommel Arnado; and Analiza Natalio, a Pantawid parent leader.
Alyannah Terite, a graduate of the 4Ps, who was featured in the last State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Aquino, introduced the key people who shared their testimonies during the ceremony.
