Amid Turmoil in the Aquino Administration, Secretary of Interior Roxas Enjoys Outstanding Popularity

 Amid Turmoil in the Aquino Administration, Secretary of Interior Roxas Enjoys Outstanding Popularity

Manila Buletin

Alejandro Villanueva

Life is not easy these days for the members of the Philippine government. Tensions are growing with Vietnam and China over the Spratly Islands. The Islamic State of East Asia is increasingly challenging the central government’s authority. The administration’s rate of approval is hitting its bottom rock at 32%.

Trust seems to be seriously compromised between the President, several of his ministers, and some leading military officers. “They’re clearly divided on the strategy to adopt”, a high-ranking civil servant testified, “they distrust each other, and spooky shit is going on”. Another source in the bureaucracy called President Aquino “paranoid”.

In the turmoil, one man stands out. Mar Roxas, the Secretary of the Interior and Local Government that has been kidnapped for several weeks by ISEA, has emerged as some sort of national hero. In a best-selling memoir titled “Passion”, Roxas narrates his ordeal in ISEA’s secret cave. Several chapters are dedicated to his renewed and ardent Catholic faith, strengthened by his suffering in captivity - the abductors allegedly mutilated Mr Roxas. Mr Roxas also calls for a “crusade” against ISEA, blaming “inaction and weakness” as the cause for the country’s worsening situation. In the polls, 85% have a good or very good opinion of Mr Roxas, and 79% would like to see him playing a more important role in the future.