Roxas takes oath as DILG secretary

Nearly two weeks after almost having his confirmation at the Commission on Appointments blocked, former transportation secretary Manuel Roxas II took his oath Saturday as Department of Interior and Local Government secretary. Roxas, wearing a barong, took his oath before President Benigno Aquino III at Malacañang's reception hall at 11:30 a.m. Roxas’ wife broadcaster Korina Sanchez was there to witness the ceremony. Members of the Liberal Party – where Roxas is president and Aquino is chairman – were also present in the ceremony. Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda posted several photos of the ceremony on his Twitter account. The photos indicated the late interior secretary Jesse Robredo's widow Leonor attending the ceremony. Meanwhile, Malacañang declined to comment on how Roxas will juggle his posts as DILG chief and president of the ruling Liberal Party. "Perhaps when you can ask him... about the two particular hats," deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said on government-run dzRB radio, when asked how Roxas would juggle both posts. It was the latest government post for Roxas, Aquino’s running mate in the 2010 elections who was defeated by eventual Vice President Jejomar Binay. Under Aquino’s Cabinet, Roxas was appointed as transportation secretary, and then as interior secretary. Recently, he also served as Aquino’s special envoy to China to meet with Vice President Xi Jinping. But Roxas’ confirmation at the CA was nearly derailed when Sen. Miriam Santiago threatened to block the appointments of Cabinet secretaries who snubbed a hearing she had called. Santiago eventually relented and said she would not block Roxas’ confirmation. Aquino appointed Roxas as the DILG secretary on August 31. Cavite  Representative Joseph Emilio Abaya, meanwhile, assumed Roxas’ post as Transportaion secretary. Born Manuel Araneta Roxas II on May 13, 1957, Roxas graduated from the Wharton School of Economics of the University of Pennsylvania in 1979. He then worked as an investment banker in New York until 1986 and eventually became assistant vice president of the New York-based firm Allen & Company. He also helped organize a series of investment roundtable discussions with the American business community for then President Corazon Aquino, mother of President Benigno Aquino III. Roxas also served as congressman representing the first district of Capiz from 1993 to 2000.  He also served as majority leader at the House of Representatives. He also headed the Department of Trade and Industry from 2000 to 2003, during the administration of former Presidents Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. In 2004, he was elected as a senator with nearly 20 million votes, supposedly the highest for any senator in Philippine history. In 2007, he was appointed by officials of the Liberal Party national executive council as party president. — Gian Geronimo /LBG, GMA News