Mar was my best Cabinet secretary – Erap

MANILA, Philippines - Is Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II courting former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada?

Roxas and Estrada only had kind words for each other in their speeches during the signing of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Manila city government for the turnover of more than P100 million for the construction of a medium-rise building in Baseco compound in Tondo, Manila yesterday.

Estrada said Roxas was the best Cabinet secretary that his administration ever had.

“I am just telling the truth. He was one of my best Cabinet members. I just stated all the good things that he has done. There is no politics in it,” Estrada told reporters in an interview after the signing of the MOA.

“It’s not an endorsement. I am not endorsing anybody yet. I’m just saying the truth. What I’m saying now is just the truth of what happened when he was my Cabinet member,” he added.

Estrada said he is proud of his Cabinet members because they were “competent, sincere in public service and none of them were ever charged in court even when I stepped down.”

“All of them have unquestionable integrity… We didn’t have differences. He was tapped by the administration of (former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo) and he accepted it because he wants to continue serving the people. He was with Hyatt 10. He left. But he did not leave me,” Estrada said.

Estrada said that he has not endorsed anybody yet for the 2016 presidential elections.

However, he noted that they have their own political group – the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), a coalition of his Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino and Vice President Jejomar Binay’s wing in the Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Laban.

Roxas, for his part, noted that Estrada supported his program that gave rise to call centers in the country.

“President-Mayor Estrada went to the US to meet with Bill Gates, owner of Microsoft which is manufacturing software. Bill Gates used to wear maong pants and t-shirt. Erap was with a necktie being a president. President-Mayor Estrada decided to remove his necktie and wear casual clothes. But when they finally met, Bill Gates was in coat and tie because he was thinking that he will be meeting a president while Erap was wearing casual clothes. He managed to get 30,000 computers with free software,” Roxas said.

Not his fault

Vice Mayor Isko Moreno said being rich is not Roxas’ fault, adding that the DILG chief is doing his job well.

“He studied and graduated in Wharton. He worked in New York… he became richer. He returned to the Philippines and served his fellow Aklanons. He was later appointed by Erap. He was handpicked to be DTI secretary. He was responsible for the creation of 8,000 jobs in Taguig, Makati, Ortigas, Libis, Ayala, techno hub, Mall of Asia because of the BPO now known as call centers,” Moreno said.

Roxas said the MOA that he signed with Estrada and Moreno would authorize the DILG and the Manila city government to fund the medium-rise building.

“The P100 million is not for photo ops. The checks are here for deposit to the city government’s coffers. This shows the good coordination between the national and local governments, between P-Noy and the Manila city government. This is not only a promise, but this is a moral promise of President Aquino when we visit here,” he said.

“This is concrete proof that this will not be lip service, but will be realized. This will not bounce. These checks have funds,” he added. – With Paolo Romero, Michael Punongbayan