Just recently, Liberal Party (LP) standard bearer Mar Roxas was in Leyte, where he faced an issue that would not go away. But he found an unlikely ally in Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez.
It may be recalled that Roxas drew flak for telling Tacloban City mayor Alfred Romualdez, “You have to remember: we have to be very careful because you are a Romualdez and the president is an Aquino.” Rep. Romualdez and Martin are cousins.
READ: Tacloban mayor accuses PNoy, Mar of partisan politics in Yolanda relief moves
“Seeking to end the blame game on the Yolanda devastation, Rep. Romualdez defended Roxas’ performance when Yolanda hit Tacloban on November 8, 2013,” reports Tessa Distor in Manila Bulletin.
Rep. Romualdez explained, “We coordinated. In fact, Roxas was billeted at the Leyte Park Hotel, one of the structures that was heavily damaged at the height of the onslaught of super typhoon and stayed in Yolanda-hit areas to help return normalcy. We appreciated that very much and we thanked the national leadership including the President [Benigno ‘P-Noy’ Aquino III] for all the help given to the people.”
He added, “Let’s not inject politics anymore and stop the blame game by moving forward and continue on the rebuilding programs in Yolanda-hit areas. After all, politics simply has no place in the face of tragedy of such magnitude.”
Rep. Romuladez even went on to point out, “He did his honest best and risked his life to warn the people, but he and Sec. Voltaire Gazmin were victims, too. Everyone, including them was overcome by Yolanda, the strongest tropical cyclone on record to make landfall in world history. Tacloban’s local officials led by Mayor Alfred [Romualdez] and the national government led by Roxas had done all to prepare and prevent deaths, but Yolanda was more powerful and strong.”
