‘Roxas can still catch up in surveys’

MANILA, Philippines - A pro-administration lawmaker said yesterday Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II, the presumptive standard bearer of the Liberal Party (LP) for the 2016 elections, can still catch up in the survey ratings.

Iloilo Rep. Jerry Treñas, the LP’s whip for the Visayas, said the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showing Roxas coming in third in the people’s choice as the country’s next president was a sign of growing public awareness of his accomplishments.

He claimed Roxas has been a victim of a smear campaign, which he said was “engineered and spread through social media by political operators to discredit his accomplishments and diminish his chances in the 2016 presidential polls.”

“Secretary Mar has been called so many names but unlike his perceived rivals, no one can question his integrity, track record and his moral aptitude. These baseless and false claims made against him will not stick,” Treñas said.

“Secretary Mar Roxas has a 100 percent awareness rating but he is misunderstood by many people because of this relentless smear campaign against him,” he said.

The SWS presidential preference poll conducted from Nov. 27 to Dec. 1 showed Vice President Jejomar Binay leading with 37 percent followed by Sen. Grace Poe at 21 percent while Roxas trailed at 19 percent.

Treñas said the SWS survey showed “there is no place for him to go but up” because of his performance as a Cabinet official.

“Secretary Mar Roxas has not even begun the actual campaign work, unlike some of the other presidentiables, but with the unquestionable success of the Aquino administration in running the country, there’s no doubt that people are now beginning to acknowledge his crucial role as President Aquino’s all-around troubleshooter,” he said.

He said Roxas’ ratings are bound to improve as he is expected to benefit from programs, projects and reforms initiated by the Aquino administration.