Mar Roxas facts for kids
Manuel "Mar" Araneta Roxas II (born May 13, 1957) is a Filipino politician. He served as a Senator of the Philippines and held several important positions in the Philippine government. He is the grandson of Manuel Roxas, who was the first President of the Third Philippine Republic. Mar Roxas also served as Secretary of the Interior and Local Government, Secretary of Trade and Industry, and Secretary of Transportation and Communications. He is the son of former Senator Gerardo Roxas.
Quick facts for kids
Mar Roxas
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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 |
| Personal details | |
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Manuel Araneta Roxas II
May 13, 1957 Manila, Philippines |
| Political party | Liberal (1993–present) One Capiz (local party; 2024–present) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Parents | Gerardo Roxas Judith Araneta |
| Alma mater | Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (BS) |
| Signature |  |
After finishing college, Roxas worked as a banker in New York. He helped raise money for small and medium-sized businesses. He later served as a Representative for the 1st District of Capiz from 1993 to 2000.
He became the Secretary of Trade and Industry under President Joseph Estrada. He later resigned but was re-appointed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. He resigned again to run for a Senate seat in 2004. He won with many votes, becoming a senator.
In 2010, he was a strong candidate for president. However, he decided to run for vice president instead, supporting Benigno Aquino III for president. Roxas lost the vice-presidential race. Later, President Aquino appointed him as Secretary of Transportation and Communications. He then became the Secretary of the Interior and Local Government.
Roxas was the main candidate for the Liberal Party in the 2016 presidential election. President Aquino supported him to continue the government's reforms. Roxas accepted the nomination but lost the election. He tried to return to the Senate in 2019 but was not elected.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Manuel "Mar" Araneta Roxas II was born on May 13, 1957, in Manila. His parents were Judy Araneta and Gerardo Roxas, who was also a Senator.
Mar is a grandson of Manuel Roxas, the first President of the Philippines after World War II. He has two siblings, Maria Lourdes and Gerardo Roxas, Jr., who was also a congressman.
He went to Ateneo de Manila University for grade school and high school. After that, he studied at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics in 1979.
After college, he worked for seven years as an investment banker in New York City. He became an assistant vice president at Allen & Company. He helped with the first funding for popular companies like Discovery Channel and Tri-Star Pictures.
Mar Roxas often visited the Philippines and helped organize discussions for American businesses interested in investing there. In 1991, he moved to the Philippines. He worked with North Star Capitals, Inc., which helped the Jollibee fast food chain become a public company.
Serving in Congress
Mar Roxas's younger brother, Dinggoy, who was a Representative for Capiz, passed away in 1993. Mar, at 36 years old, decided to run in the special election to take his brother's place. He won the election without any opponents. He later became the Majority Leader in the House of Representatives of the Philippines.
During his time as a congressman, he helped create important laws. One of these was the Roxas Law (Republic Act No. 7880). This law made sure that money for education buildings was shared fairly among all provinces. This showed his strong belief in making education available to everyone, no matter where they lived.
Cabinet Roles
In 2000, Mar Roxas became the Secretary of Trade and Industry under President Joseph Estrada. He worked to help businesses and consumers. He resigned from this role when President Estrada faced challenges.
In January 2001, after President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo took office, Roxas was re-appointed to the same position. He served as DTI Secretary for four years.
Helping Businesses and Consumers
As Secretary of Trade and Industry, Roxas focused on the palengke (public market) as a key part of the economy. He worked to protect consumers and support small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs).
He introduced programs like:
- Tamang Timbang, Tamang Presyo (Right Scale, Right Price) for consumers.
- Presyong Tama, Gamot Pampamilya (Right Price, Family Medicine) to make affordable medicines available.
- Pinoy Pandesal and Palengke ng Bayan (Market of the Country).
Roxas also worked on trade policies. He fought for better access for Philippine products in international markets, especially farm goods.
He started the Personal Computers for Public Schools (PCPS) Program. This program gave over 44,000 desktop computers to more than 3,400 public high schools. This helped over 500,000 students learn computer skills.
He also supported small and medium businesses through the SULONG Program. This program provided low-interest loans to many SMEs.
Roxas is also known as the "Father of the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)" market in the Philippines. This industry, which includes call centers, grew from just 2,000 jobs to over a million jobs in the Philippines.
Time as Senator
On December 10, 2003, Roxas left his role as DTI Secretary to run for Senator in the 2004 elections. He won and officially became a Senator on June 30, 2004.
As a Senator, Roxas worked on many issues. He wrote bills to fight smuggling, support workers, improve education, boost the economy, and promote alternative energy.
He supported the Revised Value-Added Tax Law. He also voted to end the death penalty in the Philippines. Roxas voted against the Human Security Act, saying it could harm people's freedoms.
His goals as Senator included:
- Using money from the Expanded Value-Added Tax (E-VAT) for education and healthcare.
- Making minimum wage earners tax-exempt.
- Improving the Roxas Law to solve classroom shortages.
- Regulating the pre-need industry to protect consumers.
- Creating an Anti-Smuggling Bill to improve customs operations.
- Introducing a "Lemon Law" to protect buyers of new vehicles.
- Strengthening support for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
- Proposing a "Free Information Act" to give people easier access to government information.
- Working to remove jail time for libel cases to help journalists.
- Supporting the K–12 education system to improve basic education.
In the Aquino Cabinet
After the 2010 elections, President Aquino appointed Mar Roxas as Secretary of Transportation and Communications. He started this role on June 30, 2011.
On August 31, 2012, President Aquino appointed him as Secretary of the Interior and Local Government. This happened after the previous Secretary, Jesse Robredo, sadly passed away in a plane crash. Roxas was the one who announced Robredo's death.
On August 3, 2015, Roxas resigned from his role as Secretary of the Interior and Local Government. He did this to focus on his campaign for president. He thanked his colleagues and the Philippine National Police during his farewell ceremony.
Presidential Campaign
Mar Roxas was the main candidate for the Liberal Party in the 2016 presidential election. On July 31, 2015, President Benigno Aquino III officially endorsed him. Roxas accepted the nomination and promised to continue the "straight path" (Daang Matuwid) reforms started by Aquino. This path focused on fighting poverty and corruption.
In his speech, Roxas honored his grandfather, President Manuel Roxas, his father, Senator Gerardo Roxas, and his brother, Rep. Dinggoy Roxas. He promised not to betray the reforms of the Aquino administration. He said that the "straight path" was about the dreams of every Filipino and was worth fighting for.
After his speech, President Aquino raised Roxas's hand to show his full support. However, Roxas placed second in the election and conceded to Rodrigo Duterte on May 10, 2016.
Political Journey and Personal Life
On October 15, 2018, Roxas announced he would return to politics. He ran for Senator in the 2019 Philippine Senate election but did not win a seat.
In 2021, Roxas stated that he had retired from politics. However, he later supported his 2016 running mate, Vice President Leni Robredo, in her presidential campaign in 2022.
In 2023, Roxas attended an event honoring his grandfather in Roxas City. He met with Vice President Sara Duterte and former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. He was also seen meeting with President Bongbong Marcos, who mentioned their friendship from their time in New York. In September 2024, Roxas was named head of the advisory council for a new local political party called One Capiz.
Family Life
Mar Roxas has a son, Paolo Gerardo, from a previous relationship.
In 2002, he met Korina Sanchez, a news anchor. They announced their engagement in 2009 and married on October 27, 2009. Their wedding was held at Santo Domingo Church in Quezon City. Former Senator (and later President) Benigno Aquino III was one of their wedding sponsors.
In 2019, Mar and Korina welcomed their twins, Pepe Ramon Gerardo Manuel Denzel and Pilar Judith Celia Ester Korina, who were born through surrogacy.
Awards and Recognition
- 1996: The World Economic Forum recognized Roxas as a "Global Leader of Tomorrow."
- 1999: Asiaweek Magazine named him "Political Leader of the New Millennium."
- 2002: The Singapore Government honored Roxas as the 16th Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellow.
- February 16, 2007: E-Services Philippines gave Roxas the E-Champion Award for his work in making the Philippines a top choice for outsourcing.
- July 15, 2009: The Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP) recognized Roxas for his contributions to the Philippine BPO industry.
- September 18, 2007: Roxas received the Palanca Awards Gawad Dangal ng Lahi for being an excellent leader and role model.
- September 12, 2013: The Province of Bulacan gave Roxas the Natatanging Dangal ng Lipi Award, its highest honor, for his contributions to government service.
- February 8, 2016: Roxas received the Gawad Bagonhon Award for government service.
- November 27, 2018: The Friedrich Naumann Foundation awarded Roxas the Freedom Flame Award for his work in promoting democratic ideas.
Images for kids
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Mar Roxas's signature
