BREAKING NEWS! Mar Roxas withdraws from 2010 race

MANILA - Senator Manuel "Mar" Roxas II formally announced his withdrawal from the 2010 presidential race on Tuesday and his support for his partymate, Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III.

"I am announcing my support for the candicacy of Noynoy Aquino for President in 2010," Roxas said at a press conference at the Club Filipino in Greenhills, San Juan.

"Noy has made it clear to me that he wants to carry the torch of leadership. The passing of our beloved former President Aquino has reawakened a passion among us. I acknowledge this as fuel to bring us to the realization of our dream: Good will triumph over evil," he said in his speech.

"Ito na ang pinakamabigat na desisyon sa buhay ko. Maniwala man kayo o hindi, ginagawa ko ito para sa bayan, para sa inyo. I do this for unity in support of change. And if that means that somebody must make the sacrifice, it must be me. Ako na," Roxas said, alluding to his political ads.


Among those present were LP chairman emeritus and former Senate President Jovito Salonga, former education secretary Florencio "Butch" Abad, and Aquino.

Country above self

He said his decision to withdraw his 2010 bid was placing the interests of the country above his own.

"Country above self. Bayan bago sarili," he said at the beginning of his speech.

Roxas said that he and Aquino share the same "outrage over the mess we are all in, the same way we share the solution--clean, honest, selfless public service."

"Noynoy and I want to make a difference, but we also know that we need to unite to achieve what we want," he said.

"Over the weekend, Noynoy and I had many long conversations... Masinsinang usapan. We agreed: Let us forget about ourselves for a moment. This is not about us, this is about our people and our country. This is about our common dream. The dream of our parents. But let us not remain a country of dreamers. Tama na ang pangarap. Gawin na natin, ngayon," Roxas said.

Before ending his speech, Roxas gave a message to Aquino.

"To you Noy, I say: I began the campaign to sow the seeds para sa pagbabago at reporma. You must now be the one to grow them in the arena of leadership," Roxas said.

"Hindi kami maghihiwalay ni Noy. I will stand with him," he said.

Nonoy's plans

He also had a message for his supporters, saying he won't be abandoning them.

"At sa aking mga kababayan, sa mga nagtiwala sa akin: Mahal na mahal ko po kayo. Mahal na mahal ko po ang ating bayan. Hindi rin tayo maghihiwalay. Itutuloy natin ang pagbabago sa ating bansa. Itutuloy natin ang laban para sa reporma," he said.

He, however, did not say if he will be Aquino's running mate, or if he would run for re-election in the Senate. Noynoy is expected to make announcement about his decision for 2010 on Wednesday.

Prior to the press conference, LP officials declined to confirm the announcement, but LP leader and former representative Nereus Acosta told ABS-CBN's Pia Hontiveros prior to the 6:30 pm press conference that the LP is heeding the clamor of the people.

Acosta said Roxas will be explaining the rationale for the changes in the LP's political plans. He said national interest, rather than personal interest, became the basis for Roxas' decision.

Since Roxas announced his decision to run as LP's presidential candidate, he has spent heavily on political ads.

Liberal Party roots

Both the Roxas and Aquino families have deep roots in the Liberal Party.

Roxas' grandfather, former President Manuel Roxas, founded the Liberal Party in the 1960's. The elder Manuel was the first president of the Philippine Republic.

Roxas' father, former Senator Gerardo M. Roxas, was the president of the party from 1969 to 1982. "My father led it during the most difficult times of Martial Law. Sa harap ng peligro, sa kabila ng napakaraming tukso, hindi siya sumuko. (In difficulties and temptations, he did not give up.)"

"He inspired me-to stay the course, to fight the good fight, to pass the test of true character. To believe," Roxas shared about his father.

Aquino's parents were also involved in the Liberal Party. His father, former Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. was the party's most vocal member against the Marcos rule. His mother, former President Cory Aquino, ran as a guest candidate of the party in the 1986 snap election.

In the weeks leading to Roxas' announcement on Tuesday, Filipinos mourned the August 1 death of Cory Aquino, a democracy icon, and commemmorated Ninoy Aquino's death last August 21.

Read full transcript of Senator Mar Roxas.

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Noynoy Aquino will run for higher office

Yes, Noynoy will run for higher office if the people will show support by wearing a yellow ribbon as a sign of commitment to help change the country. Noy and Mar still needs to talk about who will run as president and as vice president and how they will unite their party. Noynoy is getting more support everyday but final decisions will remain to be seen and to be announced in about a week or so.

MANILA, Philippines -- Paint the town yellow if you want Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III to run for a higher post in 2010.

Aquino, son of the late President Corazon Aquino and martyred Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr, made this call in his continued search for an answer to the increasing clamor for him to either run for president or vice president next year.

“Wear something yellow on your person, notes, with your ID, panglagay sa bahay, sa sasakyan para mapakita na marami tayo ditong umaasa at magcko-commit na babaguhin natin itong ating bayan [something that you can put in your house, in your car so that we can show that there are a lot of you who are committed to change the country],” he told reporters.

“The signature campaign is good but wearing that yellow, pwedeng yellow ribbon para mas klaro baka naman sabihing nagkataon lang na naka yellow, talagang nagko-commit ka [it could be a yellow ribbon to show your commmitment because some might say that their wearing yellow was just a coincidence], a public statement, the people around you that I’m committed to doing something about my country,” he said.

The young Aquino said running for a higher post would be a difficult decision if he could not get the support of the people.

“If this is only my ambition, pointless. If a lot of people will share the ambition of where we want to go, then that's a certainty. But if I will be the obstacle that will prevent this certainty, I will not (in the way. If I am alone, then this nothing. It's like asking for the moon," he said in Filipino.

Calls for the senator to seek a higher post have been mounting since the death of his mom.

But the young Aquino has been reluctant to accept the challenge, citing the emotional state of his four siblings -- Ballsy, Pinky, Viel, and Kris.

“I am the most sensitive. When my mom and my sisters cry. What if all four cry on me? It's like three-fourths of our lives have been devoted to this and we are no longer young …” he said.

But he is confident that his family will heed the call of the people once they see the genuine clamor for him to continue the legacy of his parents.

“I think if they see that there is really a clamor, then we have an obligation that we have to fulfill and my sisters will not back down. What I am hoping for is that their decision will be something that will come from their hearts," he said.

At this point, Senator Aquino said, he and his family were praying and consulting many people to help them make the right decision.

And this process of consultation will formally begin from within the senator’s political group, the Liberal Party.

Senator Aquino disclosed that he would meet this weekend with their party president, Senator Manuel "Mar" Roxas, who has been endorsed by some party leaders to be their standard-bearer in 2010.

“Mag uusap kami[We will talk]…At the very least, maumpisahan yung buong proseso [we can start the whole process],” he said.

He said more people who were asking a meeting with him granted his request to wait until after September 9, the 40th day of Mrs. Aquino’s death.

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Mar-Noynoy or Noynoy-Mar for the presidency

I stumbled upon two interesting and powerful opinions that I'd like to share with you about who would be the winning tandem: Mar-NoyNoy or Noynoy-Mar. Read this:

Cart and horse
By Conrado de Quiros
Philippine Daily InquirerFirst
Posted 00:20:00 08/24/2009
Mar Roxas for president and Noynoy Aquino for vice president, the Liberal Party proclaims. They’re confused about the cart and the horse. Read more...

Will the Liberal Party make another monumental blunder?
By William M. Esposo (The Philippine Star)
Updated August 23, 2009 12:00 AM
Ninoy Aquino was the biggest blunder and missed opportunity of the Liberal Party when they did not support his decision to fight the 1978 political battle. The Liberal Party must not repeat that mistake by not recognizing the mandate of history for Noynoy Aquino to run for president in 2010. Read more...


Let's pray that God will guide the party in making the right choices and decisions that will benefit the people and country more than the party itself.

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