Babe's Eye View article

After all is said and done and with the dust finally settled, it seems clear Mar Roxas has finally come to grips with his new role in the incoming Aquino administration. Although his camp mulls the possibility of filing an electoral protest, there’s talk about Mar being appointed as Trade Secretary again after the one-year appointment ban is over. But many people believe Mar could play a more important, crucial role and in fact be even more powerful by being a close personal adviser to the president-elect.

No doubt it would have been better if Mar had a direct mandate by winning the vice presidency. But in any case, he doesn’t really need a Cabinet position. As an independent adviser, he will have more room to be a straight shooter and “tell it like it is”—which will be good for everyone especially the new president. He can deliver the good and the bad news without ever fearing the displeasure of anyone around the president. Mar does not need to play ball with anybody—someone the bachelor president badly needs.

After all, president-elect Noynoy himself declared Mar will be his “alter ego,” with full access to his administration anytime, anywhere and will have his ear. Noynoy has hinted that Mar will be playing a major role in his administration, saying, “We have the same mindset, the same vision.” For many people, it was rather telling when Noynoy added, “We are getting ready to govern, so why would I not utilize the talents of Senator Roxas?”—short of saying Mar will be a de facto partner in governing the country.

As Mar’s uncle Jorge “Nene” Araneta pointed out to us, Mar and Noynoy grew up together and have known each other for so long with both families having a close personal relationship for many years. Mar can provide confidential advise on the strength of this friendship—something that Noynoy will find helpful and sobering considering the different coalitions and the strong divisions that are beginning to crack within the Aquino camp.

These people have not yet stepped foot inside the infamous Malacañang “snake pit” but intrigues and the “bulong-bulong brigade” have already started to operate. Of course, all these generated by those jockeying for positions. And then there are those typical people now claiming to be close to the president-elect and ready to do the old “influence peddling” operation. Mar can counteract them by playing the crucial balancing role for the new president.

Everyone knows the difficult decision and the kind of sacrifice Mar made, for which he even received criticism from allies and foes alike, who think he gave up on the presidency too quickly and too easily. But many of us who have known Mar for many years know him to be a decent and honest person. He already has all the material things one can possibly ask for in this world, and Mar at this point can only have one agenda: to see to it that the Aquino administration succeeds—because failure would render all his personal sacrifices in vain. In this light, one can say that Mar also has a lot at stake as far as the presidency and its success is concerned.

Let’s face it, people sometimes have unrealistic expectations. Filipinos longing for change and hoping for things to really get better have never lost their optimism. And now with Noynoy as president, some people think everything will change overnight. With all the promises he made, the new President will have the burden of almost literally carrying 94 million Filipinos on his back. The president-elect knows this is a gargantuan task, so he’s preparing the people’s mindset that he’s no Superman and that he’s going to need a lot of help from everybody. FVR was right—because of the multi-party system—Noynoy is still a minority president (something FVR only knows too well) having received only 40 percent of the votes, with the remaining 60 percent voting for other candidates. It would be wise for him to start mending fences with all his political enemies. After all, to succeed means having everybody singing the same tune.

Mar’s education, experience and credentials can provide critical insight that would help the Aquino administration face challenges that will come its way. Though Mar may have a streak of idealism, he can temper it with his pragmatism a trait that can help the president make difficult but unclouded decisions. In a manner of speaking, Mar can serve like an “independent director,” in a “corporation” whose policies would be largely focused on implementing good governance.

Noynoy’s campaign mantra of change and his promise to fight corruption helped catapult him to the presidency. But as economist Ben Diokno pointed out to me, during Cory Aquino’s time, her top qualification for the Public Works Secretary was for him to be super clean and honest, so she appointed Ting Jayme to the post. Sure, there was no corruption in the public works but that was because no work was done.

Aside from being a close presidential adviser, Mar can also focus on transforming the Liberal Party into the dominant political party, iron out the kinks that hampered it in the past and strengthen its grassroots connections. Mar has certainly learned a lot from the May elections, and now knows “who’s who” and “what’s what.”

If he successfully positions the Liberal Party at the top and continues to play a crucial role in the political scene by being an independent adviser to Noynoy Aquino, Mar can consider his options and run for the Senate in 2013. After that, who knows? It may be his turn in 2016, this time with Noynoy as his adviser.