In an act reminiscent of Doy Laurel's giving way to Cory Aquino to be the united opposition's standard bearer for the 1986 snap presidential polls, Senator Mar Roxas made what is undoubtedly the most difficult and most painful decision of his political life. Early tonight, before a crowd gathered at Club Filipino, Mar Roxas announced that he is dropping his presidential bid to give way to Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III's run for president in 2010.
It's quite odd to say this but this could probably be the "turning point" of the 2010 presidential campaign that has not even officially begun. This makes Noynoy Aquino, who will make his own formal announcement tomorrow, the man to beat in 2010.
Evidently moved and surprised by the turn of events, Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan interviewed live in tonight's Saksi by Mike Enriquez, acknowledged the great sacrifice made by Senator Mar Roxas and expressed his own readiness to forego his own vice presidential bid in 2010 in order to forge the widest possible support for Noynoy's candidacy.
After making the announcement, Mar and Noynoy got into an SUV with Mar Roxas driving it because he owned the car. Mar has come under criticism from many quarters but after doing what he just did, I believe he's elevated himself in the eyes of many people.
By stepping down, Mar Roxas has raised himself. Because he has chosen to lower himself, the Philippines gets a chance to rise up.
Whatever happens to him in the future, Mar obtains for himself today a secure place in our country's history. Without having reached a statesman's age, he has played a statesman's role. As the prospect of opposition unity looms, it puts pressure on former President Erap Estrada to emulate the example and give way as well.
VIDEO UPDATES
1 September 2009 9:05pm
These are video clips of tonight's stunning announcement by Senator Mar Roxas courtesy of GMANews.tv:
VIDEO UPDATES
2 September 2009 12:18am
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