LIBERAL PARTY OF THE PHILIPPINES: "ORAS NA!"

The election of Senator Mar Roxas as President of the Liberal Party of the Philippines last November 26, 2007 ushers his coming as standard-bearer of the party in the 2010 presidential race. The well organized political gathering at historic Club Filipino in Grenhills, San Juan, Metro Manila was well attended by Liberal senators, congressmen, local officials, business leaders, members of the civil society, youth leaders, party leaders and members. The presence of Former Philippine President Corazon C. Aquino made the affair more symbolic considering that her late husband former Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr. , a LP stalwart, was a staunch advocate of Liberalism.

Having ORAS NA!(The time has come) as its theme, the crowd was overwhelmed by Robert Sena's rendition of the song, THIS IS THE MOMENT. Indeed, the time has come for the Liberal Party, which has produced three Philippine Presidents (Manuel Roxas, Elpidio Quirino, and Diosdado Macapagal), to lead the nation again.

In his nomination speech, Senator Noynoy Aquino, described how the party contributed in shaping the nation's destiny. Notable is the party's struggle against tyranny and foreign intervention. Governor Grace Padaca's (Isabela) second to the motion statement sent the people inside the hall speechless, motionless and teary-eyed with her candid and sincere endorsement of Mar Roxas as the next leader of the Liberal Party and the Filipino Nation.

In his acceptance speech, Senator Mar Roxas thanked party members and supporters. He convincingly stated, “ORAS NA.” It is time for change, a time for renewal. He mentioned that we owe the freedoms that we enjoy today to LP stalwarts. “LP leaders were prepared to wage lonely battles for their beliefs, suffer humiliation and isolation and even face imprisonment and death with calm acceptance of the consequences of their actions.”

He went further by saying that “when policy is wrong, we are the party that will say no!, and make an honest and determined effort to provide solutions. We will reach out to all individuals and groups who will fight with us --- for freedom, for fairness, for tolerance and for redeeming our faith in our future. These are the battles that I will fully engage in as your party president.”

Senator Mar Roxas manifested his conviction of accepting the burdens of leadership and the solemn duty of securing the best future of our country through the leadership of the Liberal Party. In closing he said “ngayon ay oras na para tayo naman ang humarap sa hamon ng kasaysayan upang manindigan at lumaban.” “Let us when we must, rage against the dangers of the night; but remain hopeful and ready to embrace the blessings of a new dawn. We will win because we are fighting for the poor, the helpless, the discouraged, all who only want a decent life and a chance to make their way in this world. In this and in the many battles ahead of us, I shall not let you down.

ORAS NA!

Mar Roxas has grown from his image as Mr. Palengke into a leader of a party with principles ready to serve our nation.