ROXAS IS FILIPINO YOUTH'S CHOICE
TOP CHOICE OF YOUNG PINOY VOTERS IN UNIVERSITY POLLS

Liberal Party vice presidential candidate and survey frontrunner Sen. Mar Roxas is emerging as the clear choice of most Filipino youth as shown by recent surveys held in various universities throughout the country.

Roxas consistently secured two-digit leads over his rivals in the vice-presidential race in student surveys conducted by various school and youth organizat5ions at the University of the Philippines (UP) in Diliman, Quezon City; the Centro Escolar University (CEU) in Malolos, Bulacan; the Holy Angels University in Pampanga; the Catanduanes College in Virac, Catanduanes; the Negros Oriental State University in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental; and the University of Mindanao in Davao City.

Roxas is running mate of LP standard bearer Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III and both run on a platform of reform and good governance.

The LP is the only political party to field a complete 12-man senatorial slate which it called "SLAMAT LORRRD," a pneumonic of the names of its senatorial candidates.

Joining Aquino's campaign battle cry that "kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap, (if there is no corruption, there is no poverty)," Roxas has pledged to open his bank accounts for public scrutiny once he wins in May 2010 to entice the public sector to follow and do their own to cut graft and corruption.

This consistent push for good governance and transformational leadership has apparently rung well on mostg Filipino voters, especially the youth.

In UP Diliman, a survey there gave Roxas 4,582 votes or 40% in the survey conducted during the period December 8 to 11, 2009. The closest to Roxas' UP Diliman rating was Sen. Loren Legarda (NP-NPC) who got a mere 13% followed by Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay (UNO-PMP), who got 12%.

The huge positive response to Aquino's and Roxas' campaign platform of anti-corruption was also reflected in another survey in January 15, 2010 in CEU-Malolos, where Roxas got a high 56% rating followed by Legarda and Binay who tied at 13%.

Sixty-four percent (64%) or 3,688 of Holy Angels University students in Pampanga chose Roxas in a January 13 survey. Legarda only got 23% and Binay 8%.

In Catanduanes College in Virac Catanduanes, a survey conducted last January 22 gave Roxas a 44.17% rating (or 446 votes) while Legarda got 23.99% and Binay, 16.14%.

In Negros Oriental State University, some 1,684 students or a rating of 49.17% picked Roxas in the survey done during the period December 7 to 11, 2009. Legarda got 22.68% and Binay, 15.5%. Lakas-Kampi-NUCD vice presidential candidate Edu Manzano's name popped up with a rating of 12.65%.

In mock polls conducted by the University of Mindanao student government from January 22 to 25, a whopping 46.6% of students picked Roxas. Meanwhile, 14.36% picked Binay and 9.2% picked Loren.

The 52-year old Roxas gave up his presidential bid in September last year to give way to the public clamor for Aquino to run for President following the death of his mother, the late President Cory Aquino, which Roxas believed had opened long pent-up emotions by most Filipinos against the worsening incidence of corruption both in government and in private sector.

In the Senate, he authored the Quality and Affordable Medicines law (Republic Act No. 9502), which slashed by half essential medicines like anti-hypertensives, antibiotics, anti-diabetics, and others. The price of Amlodipine 5mg (Norvasc) has been reduced to P22.85 - the savings in a one-month period is equivalent to 25 kilos of rice.

Roxas, hailed as the "Father of the BPO and Call Center Industry," played a key role in making the Philippines a prime destination for business process outsourcing investors. From a mere 2,000 jobs at the onset, the BPO industry now provides more than half a million jobs.