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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Mar Roxas is like a 'rejected suitor', but will still fight for the country in 2028--Erice

Mar Roxas is like a 'rejected suitor', but will still fight for the country in 2028--Erice

Published May 4, 2026 10:11 pm

At A Glance

  • Rep. Edgar Erice floated former senator and LP leader Mar Roxas as a possible challenger to Vice President Sara Duterte in the 2028 presidential race.
  • Erice emphasized his belief in Roxas' capability, and said the people's mindset should shift toward voting based on qualifications and competence.
  • He says that if Filipinos want change then they should vote for Roxas; but if they want continuity of current conditions then they must endure them with the current leaders.
Former senator Mar Roxas (left), Caloocan City 2nd district Rep. Edgar "Egay" Erice (Facebook)
Former senator Mar Roxas (left), Caloocan City 2nd district Rep. Edgar "Egay" Erice (Facebook)


Caloocan City 2nd district Rep. Edgar "Egay" Erice has floated the name of former senator and Liberal Party (LP) leader Mar Roxas as a possible challenger to Vice President Sara Duterte in the 2028 Palace race.
But Erice says he needs some convincing to do with Roxas, whom he has likened to a rejected suitor who is nursing a broken heart.
"Maliwanag naman, ang pinaniniwalaan ko, yung kakayahan ni Mar Roxas (“It is clear that what I believe in is Mar Roxas’ capability)," Erice told House reporters Monday, May 4 in a chance interview.
Asked if the soon-to-be 69-year-old Roxas was willing to take another crack at public service, Erice waxed optimistic.
"Alam mo si Mar Roxas, para yang nanligaw, binasted. Masakit sa kanya, yung pagkaka-basted sa kanya. Pero sa nangyayari, sa bayan natin, dahil mahal niya yung bayan natin, aba ay nasasaktan niya," the LP stalwart said.
(You know Mar Roxas, he’s like someone who courted a woman but got rejected. The rejection hurt him deeply. But in what’s happening in our country, because he loves it, he ends up being hurt.)
"At pag tinawag mo yan, lalaban yan para sa bayan (And when you call on him, he will fight for the nation)," claimed Erice.
Roxas, a former LP president, ran in the elections three times between 2010 and 2019, and lost in all outings. He ended up second in the 2010 vice presidential race, second in the 2016 presidential race, and outside the winners' circle in the 2019 Senate race.
Roxas has been largely out of the spotlight ever since.
"Sa pagkaka kilala ko sa kanya, mahal niya ang bayan, at hindi siya tatanggii sa tawag ng bayan (In my knowledge of him, he loves the nation, and he will not refuse the call of the people)...We're trying to convince him," Erice said of Roxas.
However, the Caloocan solon said he wasn't privy to mention the names of the others who were trying to convince Roxas to return to the life of a politician.
'May boto pa ba ako?'
Erice gave a bit of insight into Roxas' current frame of mind. "Ano ba bago? May boto pa ba ako? (What's new? Do I still have my votes?)" he quoted the former Cabinet official as saying.
"Dapat baguhin natin," kako. "Hindi dapat ang magbago yung kandidato. Ang magbago, yung mga pag-iisip ng tao.
('Let's change how it's done,' I told him [Roxas]. 'The candidate must not change. It's the people’s mindset that must change.')
"So magkampanya tayo, baguhin natin yung isip ng tao. Bumoto sila, qualifications, competence, at tingin ko, sa lahat ng mga ang kandidato na yan, ang pinaka-qualified si Mar Roxas," Erice said.
(So let’s campaign, let’s change people’s minds. Let them vote based on qualifications and competence, and I believe that among all those candidates, the most qualified is Mar Roxas.)
Asked if he really thinks Roxas can beat the popular Duterte in 2028, Erice simply said: "Well kung gusto ng tao na magbago yung buhay nila, eh di iboto nila si Mar. Kung gusto nila magpatuloy nung nangyayari ngayon, eh di mag tiis sila."
(Well, if people want their lives to change, then they should vote for Mar. If they want to continue with what’s happening now, then they should endure it.)
The Vice President is the subject of impeachment proceedings in Congress.

Related Tags

Edgar Erice Mar Roxas 2028 elections Sara Duterte
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