Pharmacists urged to back lowering prices of drugs

SENATOR Mar Roxas on Sunday called on the Pharmaceutical HealthCare Association of the Philippines (Phap) to join hands with the Department of Health (DOH) in expanding public access to quality medicines at more affordable prices rather than block the passage of legislation to lower the cost of medicines. (Sun.Star)

Affordable medicines

FOR a change, the Senate took the initiative on an important bill ahead of the House of Representatives, which now plays follow-the-leader on the issue of costly medicines. The Senate, voting 20-0, approved on third and final reading Senate Bill 2263, authored by Sen. Mar Roxas, which seeks to amend the Intellectual Property Code to make medicines more accessible to the poor and the middle-class. (Manila Times)

Cold weather no excuse to raise vegetable prices

Senator Mar Roxas on Wednesday said vegetable supplies from Benguet province remains ample, thus traders should not use the cold weather as a basis to increase its prices."The cold weather is not an excuse for traders to raise the prices of vegetables," Roxas said after making rounds in public markets in La Trinidad and Atok, Benguet with its respective mayors Nestor Fongwan and Concepcion Balao. (Balita)

Liberal Party speech by Senator MAR Roxas

From Senator MAR Roxas:

"On January 29, I delivered the keynote address at the 61st Anniversary celebration of the Liberal Party. To prepare for this speech, I took time out from a hectic schedule to seriously reflect on what needed to be said and how I should say it given the poisoned environment that we find ourselves in.

I would like to share a copy of this speech with you so that you’d know best my beliefs and concerns as a public leader and your humble representative in the Senate. In it, I said that our people are the country’s greatest strength. It also sets forth a clear platform for the Liberal Party.

Let me know if it strikes a chord or not and why. Certainly, any suggestions or comments you may have on how you and I can make our country better shall be deeply appreciated."

Read the full speech of Senator MAR Roxas.

Liberal Party bares platform

AS LIBERAL Party (LP) executive vice president, Senator Mar Roxas on Monday unveiled the policy of the political group as he pointed out that most Filipinos view politicians as "unreliable, unrepentant, irresponsible, expensive, irrelevant, and thus unnecessary." Roxas said the challenge for the LP is to be relevant to the people and present bold ideas on how to improve their quality of life. He said political debate should be shifted from political personalities to political issues that show the way to improve the quality of life of Filipinos. (Sun.Star Manila)

Roxas urges legal community to back bill to lower cost of medicines

Senator Mar Roxas, also known as `Mr. Palengke', called on the legal community to back a pending bill that seeks to lower the costs of medicines in the country through amendments to the Intellectual Property Code. In response, the PBA commended Roxas and expressed support to his bill, describing his efforts in promoting the Filipino nation's health and physical well-being as "noble". (PIA)

France & the 'health gap'

As Philippe Douste-Blazy, the minister of foreign affairs, puts it: "Of the issues threatening the balance of power in our world, the ‘health gap’ between North and South is now undoubtedly the most worrying. Quite apart from the question of ethics or of moral obligation, leaders are now beginning to appreciate the eminently political impact of issues on poverty and public health. A country which has no healthcare system, no prevention policy and no access to medicines is a vulnerable and destabilized country."

Our own response to the "health gap" within is Sen. Mar Roxas’ campaign for the lower cost of medicines, for as we are wont to say that in our country, if you’re poor and you get sick, you die. Meanwhile, pharmaceutical companies are getting rich on the misery of the sick and poor. (Manila Bulletin)

Classroom shortage

Saying that the classroom shortage controversy is symptomatic of the education sector’s dire lack of budgetary support, Sen. Mar Roxas said the first step towards having a permanent solution is recognizing the dimensions of the real problem. “The confusion and disagreement on the true state of the country’s classroom shortage bring to the fore the one thing we all need to recognize: that the education sector, particularly basic education requirements which include classrooms, lack not only money but also the political will to look for and devote money for education,” Roxas said. (Manila Times)

Christmas is slow for business

PRICES of consumer goods have remained stable for the past three months, and are expected to be stable until Christmas. Despite this, Senator Mar Roxas sees that Christmas will be slow for businesses, both retailers and producers. (Sun.Star Iloilo)

Chacha distracted gov't from better economic performance, claims Sen. Roxas

Commenting on the economic performance of the country during the 3rd quarter of the year as presented by National Economic and Development Authority Secretary General Romulo L. Neri yesterday, Senator Mar Roxas said that the economic figures for the period would have been different had the government not been distracted by political things such as the Cha-cha. (PIA)

Biofuel Act approved in Bicam

The Biofuels Act of 2006 was approved by the Bicameral Conference Committee on Energy. Despite the transitory provisions removed, Sen. Mar Roxas (co-author of the proposed measure) noted that the cooperation was unprecedented in Philippine legislative history in that the sugar industry even took into consideration the protection of the interests of Filipino consumers.

The absent leader - Roxas replied

Senator Mar Roxas replied to Isagani Cruz who referred to the Senator in one of his columns as "The absent leader".

Roxas vows to preserve LP independence

"The Liberal Party will always fight for preserving its independence and shall resist outside influences and interference," said LP Executive Vice President Mar Roxas in a statement welcoming the Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) issued by the Supreme Court stopping party elections set by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Nov. 13 at the Manila Hotel. (Balita)

Drop Plan B

Senator Manuel Roxas III, an opponent of Charter Change, urged the House of Representatives to drop “Plan B”—to convene Congress as a constituent assembly to amend the Constitution—now that the people’s initiative had failed. (ManilaStandard Today)

plug: ituloy angsulong

Senator favors oil siphoning from sunken tanker

FOR Senator Mar Roxas, siphoning the remaining bunker fuel from the sunken tanker is the best and safest option to contain the oil spill. (Sun.Star Bacolod)

Just last month, the Province of Guimaras headed by Governor JC Rahman Nava Wednesday formally received financial assistance amounting to P1.1 million from the officials of the Capiz Government as well as Senator Mar Roxas. (Sun.Star Iloilo)

Biofuels bill undergoing final amendments

Senator Mar Roxas said that the proposed Biofuels Act, which requires the blending of bioethanol with gasoline, is undergoing final amendments in the Senate and he expects it to pass before its sessions end in October. (The Visayan Daily Star and Sun.Star Bacolod)

Roxas seeks inquiry on SME credit order, questions Malacañang decision on microfinance

SENATOR Manuel Roxas II questioned Malacanang's repeal of Executive Order 138, which makes credit available to small and medium enterprises and solved problems in the government’s inefficient directed credit programs. (The Visayan Daily Star and Inq7)

Roxas says retake of nursing board exams right thing to do

SEN. Mar Roxas lauds the President for requiring a retake of the June 2006 Nursing Licensure Examination. In a statement issued on Thursday, the senator said a retake is necessary to redeem the integrity and credibility of the nursing profession. He noted that the licensure and accreditation system administered by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) suffered a serious blow because of the reported leakage of the questions. “Never mind if the decision came late,” Roxas said of the President’s decision. “It’s still the right thing to do.” (Manila Times)

Roxas warns commission against CAP permit renewal

Senator Manuel Roxas II yesterday cautioned the Securities and Exchange Commission against renewing the license of College Assurance Plan to sell preneed plans. Roxas issued the warning following reports that Makati Regional Trial Court Judge Cesar Untalan asked SEC to consider renewing CAP’s license, which has been suspended since 2004 after it ran into financial problems. (Manila Standard Today)

Senator pushes for Philippine Trade Representative Office

SENATOR Manuel Roxas III on Thursday pushed for the creation of a Philippine Trade Representative Office, saying foreign service officers cannot properly negotiate in behalf of the country because of the "go-along to get-along" nature of their office. At the policy forum sponsored by the Fair Trade Alliance (FTA) and the Philippine Legislators' Committee on Population and Development Foundation Inc. (PLCPD), the former trade secretary said, "The battle I found is not necessarily so much trade [officials] versus agriculture [officials], it's really trade-agri-NEDA (National Economic and Development Authority), doing the work for services, versus the foreign service." (Inq7)