Lobregat hails Roxas appointment as new DILG chief

MAYOR Celso Lobregat welcomed on Saturday the appointment of Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas, II as the new Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) chief, replacing the late Jesse Robredo who died in a plane crash last August 18.

Lobregat said Roxas’ impeccable record and experience as three-term congressman and majority floor leader, senator, Trade and Industry secretary, and DOTC secretary, make him best choice for the post.

Roxas’ appointment came 14 days after Robredo perished along with two pilots of the Piper Seneca plane that plunged into the waters off Masbate last August 18.

Robredo’s body was found in the plane’s wreckage 180 feet deep and 800 meters from the shore.

Roxas was the focal person during the search and rescue and finally retrieval operations for Robredo in Masbate.

Roxas, 55, is an economics graduate from the University of Pennsylvania in 1979.

He was an investment banker in a New York-based firm before joining politics in 1993, when he was elected congressman of the 1st district of Capiz.

He served as majority leader at the House of Representatives until 2000 after which he headed the Department of Trade and Industry until 2003.

Roxas was elected senator in 2004 with nearly 20 million votes.

In 2007, he was appointed by officials of the Liberal Party (LP) national executive council as party president.

He was appointed by President Benigno Aquino III as secretary of the DOTC on June 7, 2011 replacing Jose de Jesus.