Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — A sea of yellow flooded the Commission on Elections (Comelec) main office at the Palacio del Gobernador in Intramuros on Thursday (October 15) morning as Liberal Party (LP) standard bearer Manuel “Mar” Roxas II and vice presidential running mate Maria Leonor “Leni” Gerona-Robredo filed their certificates of candidacy (COCs) for next year’s national elections.
Earlier, friends and supporters joined the tandem in an early morning mass at the Manila Cathedral.
Roxas and Robredo also had breakfast with their partymate, President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, who accompanied them up to the steps of the Palacio del Gobernador.
Will experience be enough?
Roxas, a Wharton School alumnus, served in several legislative and executive positions throughout his political career.
In the 1990s, he was elected to three consecutive terms as House representative of Capiz. He was appointed trade secretary in 2000, and won a Senate seat in 2004, where he served for two consecutive terms.
After losing the vice presidential race to Jejomar Binay in 2010, Aquino appointed Roxas as chief of the Department of Transportation and Communications.
In 2012, he was appointed chief of the Department of the Interior and Local Government chief, following the death of Jesse Robredo, his running mate’s husband.
‘Bakit ako?’
Leni Robredo was at first reluctant to run for vice president. She also made statements previously that she was not interested in the post.
“Hindi po madali ang paglalakbay naming patungo sa araw na ito… Ang mga nakaraang linggo po ang pinakamahirap na pinagdaanan ng aming pamilya mula nuong namatay si [former Interior Secretary] Jesse [Robredo],” Robredo said when she finally accepted LP nomination.
“Ang una pong tanong ko sa sarili ko: Bakit ako? Sa dinami-dami ng pagpipilian, bakit ako pa?” Robredo she added.
The widow attracted national attention following her husband’s death in a plane crash on August 2012. The following year, she won a seat as representative of Camarines Sur.
Complete slate
As of this posting, only the LP has announced a complete official lineup of candidates for the presidential, vice presidential, and Senate seats up for grabs next year.
However, it has not been a smooth ride for the ruling party.
Last week, senatorial candidate Francis Tolentino asked to be dropped from the party’s Senate slate following his appearance in an LP event that showed a controversial dance performance by Playgirls, a female dance group.
Tolentino, who has resigned as chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), is now running as an independent candidate.
Risky endorsement?
When he received the president’s endorsement at Club Filipino last July, Roxas said he would continue the Aquino administration’s reform and anti-corruption platform.
“Buong katapatan, loob, at paninindigan kong tinatanggap ang tawag ng Daang Matuwid,” Roxas said. “Tinatanggap ko ang hamon ng ating mga boss. Itutuloy, ipaglalaban ang Daang Matuwid.”
However, J. Prospero de Vera, vice president for public affairs of the University of the Philippines, believes that Aquino’s endorsement might be risky for Roxas.
“He should not and must simply say that ‘You should vote for me because I’m the anointed [one]’, because it carries with it tremendous risk,” he told CNN Philippines in an exclusive interview.
De Vera added that it was “not going to be enough” for Roxas to bank on continuity. If anything, Roxas would need to prove “that he carries not only the achievements of the Aquino administration, but that he has something additional to offer to the Filipino people.”
