The controversy over the Mar Roxas comic book, Gitna ng Unos (In the Eye of the Storm), has not died down yet. So, when Liberal Party (LP) standard bearer Roxas visited a livelihood center in General Nakar in the province of Quezon, reporter naturally asked him about it.
“Roxas maintained that the scenes depicted in the comic book were accurate,” reports DJ Yap in Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Then again, the report pointed out that “(Roxas) became the object of online ridicule after portions of the comic book circulated on social media, with many netizens making fun of or commenting scathingly on its contents.”
The report noted: “The comic provided details of Roxas’ life story and record in public service, culminating in a sensational scene that dramatized where he was and what he did when Tacloban City was inundated by storm surges when Typhoon Yolanda hit in November 2013.”
Many people can’t quite accept the portrayal of Roxas as the hero in the Yolanda rescue, recovery, and rehabilitation operations.
Nevertheless, Roxas stated, “To those who appreciated it, thank you. To those reacting negatively, they are probably supporting our rivals, and perhaps they are reacting negatively because they see how effective it is. I thank our supporters for making [this comic book] and explaining what really happened [during Yolanda].”
Meanwhile, Bayan Muna party-list member Neri Colmenares, a senatorial candidate, said the full-color, 28-page comic book was a “glaring insult” to the victims of Yolanda because it used “lies not only to prop up his candidacy but also to revise history.”
For his part, Anakpawis party-list Fernando Hicap described the comic book as “the most disturbing political ad” of Roxas.
Roxas appears to be indifferent to the said concerns, at his General Nakar interview, he brushed off the comic book controversy and said that the real issue of the day was the money-laundering case involving $81 million stolen from the Bangladesh central bank that was funneled into the Philippine banking system.
