By Jennifer P. Rendon
Former Senator Manuel “Mar” Roxas II might have shied away from the political limelight since his second political defeat but he made a rare public appearance during a visit of President Ferdinand “BongBong” Marcos Jr. at the former’s hometown in Roxas City, Capiz on October 6.
Marcos distributed a thousand sacks of premium rice to the beneficiaries of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD)’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) under Level 1 (survival) and Level 2 (subsistence) at the Capiz Gymnasium in Roxas City.
After acknowledging Governor Fredenil Castro of Capiz and Mayor Ronnie Dadivas of Roxas City, he greeted Roxas whom he tagged as “matagal ng kaibigan” and “anak ng Capiz.”
Roxas was seated beside Special Assistant to the President Antonio Florendo Jr. during the event.
Addressing the crowd, “baka hindi n’yo po alam, kami po ni Mar, matagal na kaming magkaibigan. Kahit na hindi kami magkapanig kung minsan sa pulitika, matagal kaming nagsama sa New York at sana naman, habang nandito siya, hindi na n’ya kinikwento ang mga nangyari sa amin n’ung nasa New York pa kami. Bachelor pa po kami at marami kaming mga adventure na magkasama,” he said.
Marcos said that he had not been able to talk with Roxas for a long time.
“Mabuti naman nag-usap kami dito pa sa Capiz,” he said.
When Marcos won the presidency, there were talks that Roxas would join his administration.
Roxas, whose mother is an Araneta, is the cousin of Marcos’ wife, Liza Araneta Marcos.
Even years back, Marcos claimed that he and Roxas “have been friends for a very long time” despite having different political parties.
The former Interior Secretary, who lost the 2016 presidential election and 2019 senatorial race, was a known ally of the late former President Benigno Aquino III.
The Aquinos and Marcoses, on the other hand, have a known rivalry for decades.
