Mar Roxas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Manuel Araneta Roxas II
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Roxas in 2014
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| 37th Secretary of the Interior and Local Government | |
| In office September 19, 2012 – September 11, 2015 |
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| President | Benigno Aquino III |
| Preceded by | Paquito Ochoa (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Mel Senen Sarmiento |
| 38th Secretary of Transportation and Communications | |
| In office July 4, 2011 – October 18, 2012 |
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| President | Benigno Aquino III |
| Preceded by | Jose de Jesus |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Emilio Abaya |
| Senator of the Philippines | |
| In office June 30, 2004 – June 30, 2010 |
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| 30th Secretary of Trade and Industry | |
| In office January 2, 2000 – December 10, 2003 |
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| President | Joseph Estrada Gloria Macapagal Arroyo |
| Preceded by | Jose Pardo |
| Succeeded by | Cesar Purisima |
| House Majority Leader | |
| In office July 27, 1998 – January 2, 2000 |
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| Preceded by | Rodolfo Albano |
| Succeeded by | Eduardo Gullas |
| Member of the Philippine House of Representatives from Capiz's 1st District | |
| In office September 1, 1993 – January 2, 2000 |
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| Preceded by | Gerardo Roxas Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Rodriguez Dadivas |
| 14th President of the Liberal Party | |
| In office November 6, 2007 – September 30, 2012 |
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| Preceded by | Franklin Drilon |
| Succeeded by | Jun Abaya |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Manuel Araneta Roxas II
May 13, 1957 Manila, Philippines |
| Political party | Liberal (1993–present) One Capiz (local party; 2024–present) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Parents | Gerry Roxas Judy Araneta |
| Alma mater | Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (BS) |
| Signature |  |
Manuel Araneta Roxas II (born May 13, 1957) is a Filipino politician. He served as a Senator of the Philippines. He is the grandson of former Philippine President Manuel Roxas.
He was a top government official, serving as Secretary of the Interior and Local Government from 2012 to 2015. Before that, he was the Secretary of Trade and Industry from 2000 to 2003. He also served as Secretary of Transportation and Communications from 2011 to 2012. His father was former Senator Gerry Roxas.
After finishing college, Roxas worked as a banker in New York. He helped small and medium businesses get money to grow. He was a Representative for Capiz from 1993 to 2000. He became Secretary of Trade and Industry under President Joseph Estrada. He later ran for Senator in 2004 and won with many votes.
Roxas was a candidate for Vice President in 2010. He lost to Jejomar Binay. In 2011, President Benigno Aquino III appointed him as Secretary of Transportation and Communications. In 2012, he became Secretary of the Interior and Local Government.
He was the main candidate for the Liberal Party in the 2016 presidential election. He was supported by President Aquino to continue the "straight path" reforms. He lost the election to Rodrigo Duterte. He tried to become a Senator again in 2019 but did not win.
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Early Life and Education
Manuel Araneta Roxas II was born on May 13, 1957, in Manila. His parents were Judy Araneta and Gerry Roxas. His father was a Senator.
Mar is one of the grandchildren of Manuel Roxas, who was the first President of the Third Philippine Republic. He has two siblings, Maria Lourdes and Gerardo Jr..
He went to Ateneo de Manila University for grade school and high school. Then, he studied at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He earned a degree in Economics in 1979.
After college, he worked for seven years as an investment banker in New York City. He helped companies like Discovery Channel and Tri-Star Pictures get funding. In 1991, he moved back to the Philippines. He helped the Jollibee fast food chain become a public company.
Time in Congress
Roxas' younger brother, Dinggoy, was a Representative for Capiz. When Dinggoy passed away in 1993, Mar decided to run for his brother's seat. He won the special election without anyone running against him. He later became the Majority Leader in the House of Representatives.
He helped create important laws, including:
- Republic Act No. 8759: This law set up Public Employment Service Offices in all towns. These offices help people find jobs.
- Republic Act No. 8748: This law changed how money from special economic zones is shared. It also helped people who had to move because of these zones.
- Republic Act No. 8756: This law encouraged international companies to set up offices in the Philippines. This helped create more jobs.
He was also known for the Roxas Law (Republic Act No. 7880). This law made sure that money for education was shared fairly among all provinces. This was important for making education available to everyone.
Serving in the Cabinet
Roxas left the House of Representatives in 2000. He was appointed as Secretary of Trade and Industry by President Joseph Estrada. He worked to help businesses and trade in the country. He resigned from this role when President Estrada faced issues.
In January 2001, after President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo took office, Roxas was appointed to the same position again.
Helping Businesses and Consumers
During his time as Trade and Industry Secretary, he focused on helping local markets, called palengke. He believed these markets were key to the economy. He worked to protect consumers and support small and medium businesses.
He started programs like:
- Tamang Timbang, Tamang Presyo (Right Scale, Right Price) to help consumers.
- Presyong Tama, Gamot Pampamilya (Right Price, Family Medicine) to make medicines affordable.
- Pinoy Pandesal and Palengke ng Bayan (Market of the Country) to support local products.
He also worked on trade policies to help Philippine exports. He made sure that local industries were not harmed by international trade agreements.
Roxas started the Personal Computers for Public Schools (PCPS) Program. This program gave over 44,000 computers to public high schools. This helped many students learn computer skills.
He also supported small and medium businesses through the SULONG Program. This program gave low-interest loans to many businesses.
Roxas is known as the 'Father of the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)' market in the Philippines. This industry, which includes call centers, now provides over a million jobs in the country.
Time as Senator
On December 10, 2003, Roxas resigned from his role as Trade and Industry Secretary. He prepared to run for Senator in the 2004 elections. He won a seat and became a Senator on June 30, 2004.
As a Senator, Roxas worked on many issues. He wrote 43 bills and 46 resolutions. These included bills to fight smuggling, support workers, improve education, and help the economy.
He voted for the Revised Value-Added Tax Law. He also voted to end the death penalty in the Philippines.
Roxas voted against the Human Security Act. He believed it could harm people's rights if not properly managed.
Key Legislative Goals
For his next term, Roxas focused on several important goals:
- Using EVAT Funds for Education and Healthcare: He proposed a "People's Fund" to use a part of the Value-Added Tax (VAT) for education and healthcare.
- Tax Exemption for Minimum Wage Earners: He wanted to remove taxes for people earning minimum wage. He felt it was unfair to tax their low income.
- Improving the Roxas Law: He aimed to improve his own law to fix classroom shortages in the Philippines.
- Regulating the Pre-Need Industry: He proposed a law to oversee companies that sell pre-need plans (like for education or funerals).
- Fighting Smuggling: He wanted to create a special group within the Bureau of Customs to check for illegal activities.
- Lemon Law: He proposed a law to protect buyers of new vehicles. It would allow replacements or refunds if a car had too many problems within a year.
- SME Magna Carta: He wanted to strengthen support for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
- Free Information Act: He proposed a law to give people free access to government information. This would help make the government more open.
- Decriminalizing Libel: He wanted to remove jail time as a punishment for libel, especially to help journalists.
- K–12 Implementation: He filed a bill to strengthen the Philippine education system, including the K–12 program.
In November 2007, he was appointed president of the Liberal Party.
Role in the Aquino Cabinet
After his time as Senator, Roxas was considered a strong candidate for President in the 2010 elections. However, on September 1, 2009, he decided to step aside and support Benigno Aquino III for President. Roxas then ran for Vice President.
He lost the Vice Presidential race to Jejomar Binay by a small number of votes. Roxas filed a complaint about the election results, but the case was still ongoing years later.
In 2011, President Aquino appointed Roxas as Secretary of Transportation and Communications. He took office on June 30, 2011.
On August 31, 2012, President Aquino appointed him as Secretary of the Interior and Local Government. He took over after Jesse Robredo passed away in a plane crash. Roxas was the one who announced Robredo's death.
On August 3, 2015, Roxas resigned from this position. He wanted to focus on his presidential campaign. He thanked President Aquino and promised to hand over his duties smoothly.
Presidential Campaign
Roxas was the main candidate for the Liberal Party in the 2016 presidential election. On July 31, 2015, President Benigno Aquino III officially supported him. Roxas accepted the nomination and promised to continue Aquino's "Daang Matuwid" (straight path) reforms.
In his speech, Roxas honored his family members who were also public servants. He said he would not betray the reforms started by the Aquino government. He vowed to keep fighting for the "straight path" agenda.
He said: "I am Mar Roxas and I accept the challenge of our Bosses: to continue, expand and fight for the 'Daang Matuwid'."
After his speech, President Aquino raised Roxas' hand to show his full support. Roxas placed second in the election and conceded to Rodrigo Duterte on May 10, 2016.
Later Political Life
On October 15, 2018, Roxas announced he would return to politics. He ran for Senator in the 2019 Philippine Senate election. He was part of the "Otso Diretso" opposition group. However, he did not win a seat in that election.
In August 2021, Roxas stated that he had retired from politics. He later supported the presidential campaign of his 2016 running mate, Vice President Leni Robredo, in the 2022 elections.
In 2023, Roxas was seen at events with Vice President Sara Duterte and former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. In October 2023, he met with President Bongbong Marcos. President Marcos mentioned that they remained friends despite their political differences. In September 2024, Roxas was named head of the advisory council for a new local political party called One Capiz.
Personal Life
Roxas has a son, Paolo Gerardo, from a previous relationship.
In 2002, he met Korina Sanchez, a news anchor. They announced their engagement in April 2009. They got married on October 27, 2009, at Santo Domingo Church in Quezon City. Then-Senator Benigno Aquino III was one of their wedding sponsors.
As of 2014, his declared net worth was about 202.08 million Philippine pesos.
In 2019, Roxas and Sanchez announced the arrival of their twins, Pepe Ramon Gerardo Manuel Denzel and Pilar Judith Celia Ester Korina. The twins were born through surrogacy.
Awards and Recognition
- 1996: Recognized by the World Economic Forum as a "Global Leader of Tomorrow."
- 1999: Named "Political Leader of the New Millennium" by Asiaweek Magazine.
- 2002: Awarded as the 16th Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellow by the Singapore Government.
- 2007: Received the E-Champion Award for his work in making the Philippines a top outsourcing destination.
- 2009: Awarded by the Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP) for his contributions to the BPO industry.
- 2007: Conferred the Palanca Awards Gawad Dangal ng Lahi for being an excellent leader.
- 2013: Recognized by the Province of Bulacan with the Natatanging Dangal ng Lipi Award for his government service.
- 2016: Received the Gawad Bagonhon Award for government service in Bago, Negros Occidental.
- 2018: Awarded the Freedom Flame Award by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for his democratic ideals.
