Roxas accepts House cheaper med version

The principal author of the Senate’s version of a bill that seeks to lower the price of medicines has dropped his objection to the version of the House of Representatives which proposes setting up of market controls.

“We in the Senate remain open to the ideas of the House, and we will enter bicameral talks with the end-goal of making the best bill for our people,” said Senator Manuel “Mar” Roxas II.

Roxas conceded that the sponsors of a similar bill in the House correctly anticipated that big drug companies could manipulate and prevent drugstores from selling imported cheaper medicines.

He said the use of price controls could come in if market competition from cheaper medicines from abroad and generic drugs do not work and make medicines affordable to the public.

“I’m very attracted to that idea (of a must carry provision) because these medicines may come in but if they’re stacked in a warehouse, there won’t be any change in prices,” he said.

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Wednesday, October 10, 2007 | posted in , , , , | 0 comments [ More ]

Roxas reacts on NNC hunger report

Senator Manuel “Mar” Roxas II on Monday challenged the government to fix the “disconnect” between the positive macro-economic indicators and the negative hunger level among the Filipinos.
“There is a disconnect between the headline statistics: high peso rates, high GDP (gross domestic product), low interest rates; and people’s everyday experience of hunger and ‘sachet’ consumer pattern. There’s a disconnect between the economics on Ayala Avenue and the real economy,” he said.
Roxas was reacting to the report of the National Nutrition Council (NNC) that there was a 50-percent increase in those who experienced hunger from the second quarter of the year (14.7 percent) to the third quarter (21.5 percent).

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Monday, October 8, 2007 | posted in , , | 0 comments [ More ]

"No deal is always better than a bad deal" - Roxas

Sen. Mar Roxas on Thursday said senators remain unconvinced on ratifying the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) even as the executive branch had created an inter-agency task force to explain to senators the benefits of the bilateral economic agreement.
"In trade negotiations, no deal is always better than a bad deal. The challenge remains for our trade negotiators to show us—in specific, concrete terms—how this agreement will redound to the benefit of our people," said Roxas.
Roxas said that even with four hearings already conducted by the Senate "the government’s presentation to the Senate is inconclusive. The ‘gives & takes’ remain unclear."

The Senate Trade and Commerce committee chairman said that the so-called benefits asserted by the executive branch have been countered by groups opposed to ratification of JPEPA.
"For example, the government asserts that JPEPA will lead to the hiring of Filipino nurses, yet the oppositors have singled-out specific chapter and verse in the agreement which says our nurses will be on OJT ("on the job training") status."

"The government says that our health workers will be accorded ‘national treatment,’ or granted the same rights and privileges as Japanese nationals. However, no one could answer whether Filipino nurses will receive exactly the same benefits—monetary or otherwise—or protection as Japanese nurses," said Roxas.
Roxas maintained that he still keeps an open mind on JPEPA due to his recognition of the strong bilateral relationship between the Philippines and Japan.

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Sunday, October 7, 2007 | posted in , , , | 0 comments [ More ]

Making Sen. Roxas on Gizmoz.Com

Here's my creation in Gizmoz.Com and tadaah! It's Sen. Mar Roxas speaking! Watch it now! Please share your thoughts to me. I would like to know about what you think of my video clip.

Wednesday, October 3, 2007 | posted in , , , , | 0 comments [ More ]

Sen. Roxas supports PGMA on axing ZTE deal

Just this 7:36 AM this morning, I received a text from Sen. Mar Roxas' chief-of-staff Susan Ople and she relayed to me this statement from Sen. Roxas about the cancellation of the ZTE deal. (NOTE: I am not connected with Sen. Roxas' office. I am not dictated by the Senator's office nor his office staff on what to and not to blog. I am just having a contact with Sen. Roxas' chief-of-staff Susan Ople so that I would know the latest on Sen. Roxas' schedule, news, interviews, etc.)
"President Arroyo acted wisely in cancelling the ZTE contract. This will save the nation from further international embarrassment and domestic turmoil. This project should never have been started nor approved in the 1st place.

The procurement law has to be improved by ensuring all govt. projects have to go thru bidding and/or check n balance processes. The Senate trade committee w/c I chair shall continue to pursue this issue in aid of legislation. We need to tighten the approval process for foreign-aided and funded projects to protect the people's money and prevent this politico-diplomatic fiasco from ever happening again.

Cancellation is the appropriate action given that:

(i) the NBN is not our priority right now;

(ii) what was approved was contrary to the govt's policy of no loans, no govt. gtees, private sector driven n user pay;

(iii) full transparency in all govt. procurement, and;

(iv) that this has been surrounded by bribery charges n controversy."

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Sen. Roxas lauds Senate colleagues on cheaper medicines bill

Senator Mar Roxas has lauded his Senate colleagues for their overwhelming support of his cheaper medicines bill after the said bill was approved on its second reading.

“I thank my colleagues in the Senate for their overwhelming support for the Quality Affordable Medicines bill. We look forward to the House version and continue to keep an open mind so we can come up with the best law for the people,” he said.
Although President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo already certified Sen. Roxas' cheaper medicines bill, he is now urging anew to certify Senate Bill No. 1658 as an 'urgent bill' which is a consolidation of all the cheaper medicines-related bills.
“The Administration certified it as urgent in the last Congress, and it has committed to do the same now. Ultimately, it will depend on the administration’s political will that would decide the fate of these measures,” he added.
Finally, we are now one step closer in bringing these medicine prices down through the help of Senator Roxas and the people who support this bill.

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Sen. Roxas on Abalos' resignation

Here's the official statement on Sen. Mar Roxas on COMELEC Chairman Benjamin Abalos' resignation:

“With the resignation of Chairman Abalos, a chapter has just been closed but not the whole book. Justice must be pursued to its logical end in the ZTE affair.

I call on President Arroyo to appoint an immediate replacement who can restore the people’s faith in Philippine democracy.

It is imperative that the President appoint a qualified and credible replacement immediately to oversee the upcoming elections and undertake long-delayed electoral reforms. This is a make-or-break opportunity for the national leadership to restore lost credibility in our elections."

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John Nery on Mar Roxas

In his article in the Philippine Daily Inquirer entitled "The ‘bully’ in Mar Roxas", John Nery said:
"... Sen. Mar Roxas was also cited, for his obvious facility with numbers and concepts.

I must confess, though, to a certain tentativeness about Roxas’ performance. Yes, he certainly seems to have done his homework. Of all the senators present (the blue ribbon committee alone has 17 members), he alone seems to have the consistent benefit of that old Ramos mantra, “complete staff work.” (How complete? Here’s an alternative gauge: Just about an hour after he tangled with Assistant Secretary Lorenzo Formoso on the government’s estimate of the savings it would generate from the ZTE deal, his news release, complete with his quotes, was already in my email inbox -- and in dozens of other journalists’ inboxes too. The time stamp was 6:59 p.m.)

With his investment banking background, Roxas also knows enough to debate, not only economic policy, but the theoretical framework or philosophical assumption informing a given policy. Witness the altercation with Neri on whether financials should be included in the project evaluation. When was the last time a senator brought Modigliani (the economist Franco, Google tells us, not the artist Amedeo) into a legislative discussion?"
Sen. Roxas was the only one who had the guts to ask Asec. Formoso than any other senator in that chamber. Here's my post on those who accuse Sen. Roxas as 'bastos' and grandstanding in the Senate probe on the ZTE deal. I hope those accusing him would think twice on what they say.

Tuesday, October 2, 2007 | posted in , , , | 0 comments [ More ]

Conrado de Quiros on Mar Roxas

In his column today in Philippine Daily Inquirer entitled ‘Tinimbang ka pa rin’ , Conrado de Quiros said:

"I’ll give the best performance award in the Senate hearing last week to Mar Roxas. He didn’t just ask the right questions, he showed the right reaction to perfidy.

...Roxas could only expostulate while groping for words that he was shocked by Neri’s blithe attitude toward wrongdoing. I share his sentiments completely. There and then, you see the vicious stupidities that have taken hold of this country..."
Senator Mar Roxas really deserves that best performance award. He has been performing his duties since 2004 without much media blitz. That's why others are asking, "where was Mar Roxas circa 2004-2007?" Now, he has to show his guts and prove to the people that he's the right man for the right job at the right time.

To read more about Mr. de Quiros' column, click here.

Monday, October 1, 2007 | posted in , , , , | 0 comments [ More ]

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