An Encounter With Mar Roxas
Further to my earlier post, the encounter with Filipino bloggers Senator Mar Roxas had yesterday gave me the distinct sense that this was a different Mar from the one this writer met, and had the honor to work with, when he was secretary of trade and industry serving President Arroyo in the immediate post EDSA 2 years.
Here was a man still cautious with his words but certainly more certain about his conviction that reforms must come now and be made to grow deep roots if the Philippines is to get out of the ecomic, and political, morass it is stuck in.
Here was a Mar Roxas ready to seek the highest office of the land wearing not rose-colored glasses but with eyes that have seen and continues to see the mass povery that stalks the land, even as there are Filipinos who can afford to buy, and drive Benzes and gas-guzzling Ford Expeditions for 3 to 5M a pop.
Truly “a statement about the wide gap between rich and poor Filipinos.” which he said makes him ask “just what does GMA have to show for the yearly national budget of one trillion pesos her government has spent since 2001 since she first took power?”
Through the more that two hours he spent yesterday with the bloggers, Mar showed himself to be a ‘listening’ politician, taking notes as he heard how Filipinos are harnessing blogging to share information and distill their aspirations as a people, regardless of where the politicians are taking Philippine society.
To be sure Mar will have to bring his message out more and he apparently recognizes the awesome power of new media.
Mar has launched is own blog. His handlers promise the blog will try to remain current and responsive with the senator, time permitting, doing the actual posts along with special contributors who reflect his thinking and positions on issues.
And as Mar, we hope, learned from yesterday’s session, he will come under closer scutiny now that he is in the blogosphere with his eye on 2010.
(Among those present at the session with Senator Mar were contributors from FilipinoVoices.com and ScoutAreaOnline (represented by senior writer Paolo Florenda) plus personalities like Ellen Tordesillas, Manuel Quezon III, Ricky Carandang, Noemi Dado, Gail Villanueva, Lester Cavestany, and the-jester-in-exile.)
Postscript:
Blogger ‘marocharim’ was also and encounter and I missed his exchange with Senator Mar about Dark Knight and Mar’s responses were gems given the duality or multi-faced ‘balimbing’ character of many Filipino politicians:
“I’m not a very political blogger (and if that was a lie, let lightning strike me), and I sort of got confused with all that had to do with my question about E-VAT. My theory is that a lot of politicians can answer a VAT question unfazed. So I decided to ask the Senator a “cute” question (as Ma’am Noemi puts it)…
Sir, you watched The Dark Knight, right? Who would you want to have dinner with: Joker, Two-Face, or Batman?
Now let me just say that this is not a profound philosophical question, I just wanted to know his answer…
I’d really like to talk to Two-Face and ask… “What happened to you?”
Marochim also reports this important angle that I missed:
“It was also the launch of VirtualRally.net, which is a virtual form of EDSA where you can speak your mind about issues like VAT.”
Excerpted from http://www.marocharim.com/2008/08/02/marocharim-meets-mar-roxas/
Second Postscript:
A quick peek at that site at 4:10 am Manila time today the 2nd of August shows 39 rally participants, about two-thirds a bus-load so the govrrnment will not yet be fielding its own ‘virtual’ anti civil disturbance unit’ much less shout virtual ‘destabilization.
At this very early phase of VirtualRally.net this look like a potentially ground-shifting e-nnovation to the blogswarm mechanism. But note who is portrayed in the slightly bigger avatar among the rally ‘participants.
Note: I would be remiss in this post if I do not acknowledge the photos, and insights from the posts in their own blogs of Ms. Noemi Dado, Mr. Carlo Ople, Mark Rimorin, and very erudite Jester-In-Exile. Special thanks as well to my Ate Toots Ople and our editor-not-chief over at FilipinoVoices.com A notable absentee but who promises to join the next session with Mr. was Patricio Mangubat of FV and NewPhilippineRevolution. My apologies to the other attendees whom I’ve failed to mention. Till next time, guys
At Midfield 
it was an interesting evening, wasn’t it, ding?
Jester,
Indeed it was. Let’s have coffee soon shall we? Will ask Patricio Mangubat to join us, ok? Am at 09175233464.
nice meeting you, sir (even if we were about four seats away from each other). hope to see you again; i believe your coverage of the ces drilon kidnapping deserves salutation.
thanks!
based on his track record – the stances he’s taken on issues, the bills he’s authored, and the direction he looks to be going, i had leanings in favor of mar, but i wasn’t all too sure. why? because he didn’t seem all too sure.
but now that i’ve happened on this post, and heard mr. ding read mar as “certain about his conviction(s)” and “ready to seek the highest office of the land”, from someone objective, but someone who knows him and has met him, i’m putting my lot in for mr. palengke.
thanks mr. ding!