Santa Barbara, Iloilo – A day after ruling out the possibility of supporting the presidential bid of Vice President Jejomar C. Binay, President Aquino yesterday stopped short of endorsing his ally Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas as his successor next year.
Delivering his Independence Day address for the first time at the historic town of Santa Barbara, the President notably praised Roxas for being a reliable public servant who gets the job done.
Roxas was singled out in the President’s speech, where Aquino expressed confidence that Filipinos would choose the right leader in next year’s national elections.
“Like in the past, we know that whenever we task Mar Roxas to lead a project or program, you can expect that initiative will succeed,” the President said in Filipino at the country’s celebration of the 117th anniversary of Philippine independence.
Citing an example of the DILG secretary’s work ethic, the President lauded Roxas for his role in the creation of Negros Island Region. Aquino had earlier issued Executive Order No. 183 merging Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental into one administrative region to spur development and improve public services.
MANILA BULLETIN
