Heroic, Statemanly

Brilliant. Heroic. Statemanly. A true leader.

Last night, Senator Mar Roxas unexpectedly issued his decision to abandon his political ambition of running for President in next year’s elections. He said before the press that he was extending all his support for Noynoy Aquino to be the standard-bearer of the Liberal Party (LP’s). His statement was surprising, considering his and LP’s massive campaign beginning 2007 to clinch the political leadership in the country.

Who would have thought Mar Roxas would do such heoric, statemanly act? Forgoing with an ardent ambition at least for the time being in all certain terms is not an easy decision to make, considering that millions of pesos had already been spent on informercials and the campaign network has been continually growing. Especially in these political times of greed for power, the path that Mar took is the road less traveled, albeit arguably the road all must lead. Unless of course one was born of the garcic type of politician, no gloric runner would simply concede to a darkhorse probable candidate. Seen from that gloric-garcic perspective, that would be a political suicide. Said in another way, no hungry wolf already served with a bounty would eventually turn around and retreat to the forest. Well, Mar Roxas is no wolf, and definitely no gloric nor garcic kind. Mar Roxas, by last night’s standards, is his father’s son. And am not only referring to his father, the late esteemed Senator Gerry Roxas. He is who every Manuel Roxas, Benigno Aquino, Jr., Claro M. Recto, Lorenzo Tañada, Jose Diokno, Raul Roco and Jovito Salonga should be proud of. The one that every Juan dela Cruz and Jocelynang Baliwag should emulate.

Although he was in my short shortlist of rightful next President of the Republic of the Philippines, Mar Roxas has never been my top favorite for the Chief Executive. I confess, my fixation has been to put a nationalist, competent, morally upright, no-nonsense lawyer to Malacañang, to lead this graft-laden, morally degenerating government. I thought Mar Roxas might be consistent in his pro-Filipino approach to economic progress but I was looking for that x-factor that my biased cerebrum poked only on law school trained executives. (Well, there had been and still are bad lawyers in Malacañang - just look behind the sitting "president" and you’d know who I mean.)

But last night dawned on us once again the kind of leader this country should have. Mar’s act is what I conceive to be part of the moral revolution that our country needs. I hasten to equate this Mar phenomenon as just an offshoot nor hangover of the Cory passing. If it is, doing such heroic act is a tall imperative order to follow the lead of Cory and continue her legacy. I’d like to think that if one Mar Roxas is capable of making sacrifice for loftier reasons, then everyone can as well. And they, we, all should. It is high time that selfless service to country, to the people and to God take primordial priority over personal ambition.