MANILA - Three weeks after giving up his presidential bid, Senator Manuel "Mar" Roxas II on Monday formally accepted the invitation of Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III to become the latter's running mate in the 2010 elections.
With shouts of "Noynoy-Mar!" echoing inside the historic Club Filipino in San Juan, Roxas said he is wholeheartedly accepting the challenge of running for the vice-presidency in next year's polls under the Liberal Party (LP) banner.
"Thank you for this opportunity to work with you as we raise the banner of reform. Thank you for the privilege of joining you and our kababayans in the fight for decency and integrity in public service. Taos-puso ko pong tinatanggap na isulong ang reporma sa ating bansa," he said in his speech.
Roxas said the Noy-Mar tandem is a response to the people's "collective thirst for change", adding that their partnership seeks to put an end to the horse-trading and transactional politics that is the biggest road block to the country's progress.
Aquino praised Roxas for giving up his presidential bid and said his sacrifice "gave way to the launch of a movement of our countrymen who are hungry for the return of a decent, clean and organized government." Mar earlier withdrew from the 2010 presidential race last September 1. He also made known his support for Noynoy’s bid.
The formal announcement was made on the day when Muslims commemorate the Eid’l Fitr or the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. Monday also marks the commemoration of the 37th anniversary of the declaration of martial law.
Noynoy is the son of the late former President Corazon “Cory†Aquino and the late Sen. Benigno “Ninoy†Aquino, Jr.
Roxas, meantime, is the grandson of former President Manuel Roxas and son of the late Sen. Gerardo “Gerry†Roxas.
Noynoy announced his presidential bid last Sept. 9
abs-cbn.com
as of 09/21/2009 11:56 AM
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