The MARked Man

It’s not easy being Mar Roxas. With a lineage that carries substantial weight in both political and business arenas–his grandfather was the first President of our Republic, Manuel Roxas, and his father was the esteemed Sen. Gerry Roxas; his mother is Judy Araneta Roxas, a member of the family that developed Cubao–there are expectations, aspirations and dreams that are practically set in stone, and have become parameters by which his life will eventually be measured. Fairly or unfairly, this is his fate in life.

Presently saddled with the Cabinet post of Secretary of Trade and Industry, Mar has the unenviable task of boosting foreign investment in the country at a time when investor confidence seems to be at a low and every developed country’s darling in the region is China.

Dubbed by some quarters as the "sick man of Asia", I asked Mar what prescription he would write out for our nation. Picking up on the metaphor, he says, "I’d tell the patient that his vital signs are all okay. Inflation is down, interest rates are down, the peso-dollar exchange rate is relatively stable, GNP growth is positive, there’s a strong growth in services, moderate growth in industry–but a big bounce back from the previous year–and okay growth in agriculture. So, it’s like your blood work, your blood pressure are all alright, but you feel matamlay and I acknowledge that. Why do you feel that way? Well, among other factors, there’s the threat of terrorism, the politicking that hogs the headlines and the volatile nature of oil prices. So, there’s uncertainty, a real psychological fear of what the future holds, all creating a mood of pessimism. But you know, what’s essential is that we don’t allow the fear to paralyze us into inaction. That’s scarier and something we have to avoid."

He continues, totally absorbed in the discourse: "The solutions of a decade, even five years ago may not be appropriate today because the challenges have changed. As a representative of Government and one tasked to see the bigger picture with a sense of history, I have to help the patient walk through these troubled times, hold his hand, so to speak. The sense of history I refer to is having been through ’83, the 12-hour brownouts of ’91, the Asian currency crisis of ’97, these all form part of the picture of our nation facing crises and finding a way past them.

"But certainly, this is not to imply that history merely repeats itself. The problems today are unique, the solutions which have to be created are not just replicated from the past. We learn from the past, but we adapt to the times we now live in. What used to take generations to evolve can now be accomplished in half that time given the way the world is. As an example, in 1976, the Philippines had $1 billion in exports, of which 80 percent came from natural resources–timber, sugar and so on. Last year, it was $32 billion and only 10 percent was natural resources. That’s some 25 years, a generation; and that kind of shift can happen in ten years starting now, given how rapid change now occurs. Break down that 80-to-10 percent shift and it means movement of capital, dislocation of businesses, a primer on natural growth and decline, new companies making money, old established ones becoming obsolete or, at the very least, severely depleted in revenues and viability. So, if you were working in one of these established companies, you could be out of a job or seeing your rival closing shop and what does that tell you about how business is?

"Last year alone there was 100 percent growth in trade to China; so while our traditional exporters may see China as the looming threat that’s forcing them to close down, other more enterprising exporters saw China as opportunity. The USA, Japan, they congratulate us on what we’ve accomplished, 4.1 percent growth for the first nine months of 2002. They do realize, just as we do, that there are still sizable problems we have to overcome, but we are on the right track and while I don’t want to belabor the point, maybe it is also a matter of our people catching up to what the figures represent and shrugging off the general malaise that seems to affect them."

Ushered into a room where the "official" women of Mar were lying in wait (the various women who comprise the department’s senior staff and head the agencies which fall under the DTI umbrella), it was hardly surprising they had praise and plaudits a-plenty to heap on Mar’s head. But while their compliments may be well deserved, I sought out more candid comments on what it was like to be working with Mar, what they’d change in him, what idiosyncrasy they still found unsettling. Naturally, there had to be a guarantee of non-attribution, an "All for one, one for all" kind of session. So Mar will either have to live with these remarks or fire them all.

"Well, we were surprised to discover his favorite food was daing na bangus and that rather than go for formal lunches, he’d much rather have informal working lunches with sandwiches being brought in."

"Mar is a bullet points kind of person. He distills any presentation being made, trying to pare it down to essentials. He’s notorious for bringing out his blue and red pens, making copious notes and marking them with red if urgent or confidential."

"Adding to his OC (obsessive-compulsive) attitude to note taking, we had to develop a banig format for presenting things to him, where pages would be stapled side by side, and this stems from the time he brought out his own stapler and proceeded to re-format the presentation!"

"At times, he seems detached, not the traditional kind of leader or politician; but there was one time I was with him in Capiz and it was like night and day. He was so much more relaxed, his smile just seemed that much more genuine and people were responding."

"I think he looks much better now, with his new hairstyle."

"His humor stems from repartee as opposed to the formal joke; he’s inquisitive and surgical in analysis."

And last but not least, ten points for courage to the plucky lady who made the assembly dissolve in laughter when she said, "But the food, it all goes to his hips!"

One favorite buzz phrase of Mar is "seamless government intervention"; it’s something he’s programmed his tenure at DTI to deliver at all costs –a legacy, so to speak. "It’s trying to make Government logical, and practical, not some bureaucratic ten-headed monster. Look at what’s happened with home industry training. There’s one program under DTI, there’s one under DOLE (Labor and Employment) and one under DA (Agriculture); but they all have to do with training in basket weaving, tilapia growing, candle making, how to export and so on. To the citizen it should not matter which agency is giving the training; what should matter is that the citizen gets his certificate and correspondingly can apply for a loan. That’s what we’ve created, a one-stop system—one filing, and then it’s cross-referenced to make it convenient for the trainee/borrower."

"In fact, the pipe dream is to do what’s now being done in Singapore. I was there on a Lee Kuan Yew Fellowship, and it opened my eyes to the possibilities of IT (Information Technology) initiatives. There, the idea is that the citizen should not be bounced from one government agency to another like some pinball. The technology is such that data bases can interface, and one goes to one portal for one’s cedula, passport, driver’s license and SSS registration."

The training of DTI personnel is another pet project of Mar’s. "I guarantee every DTI employee of rank at least 40 hours of training, of which 50 percent has to do with general skills, 25 percent is technical and 25 percent is personal development. What this means is that not only does one get training in trade negotiating, but one also learns appreciation of museums, as well as pointers on parenting and so on. The reason behind this is that as I see the level of the people representing our counterparts in the developed world, it’s important that our representatives are also well-grounded and able to match their global perspective."

A confirmed bachelor in his 40’s, the conversation inevitably gets around to the women who have played roles in his personal life. Keeping his cards close to his chest and hoping names will not have to be mentioned, Mar tried to put closure on the subject by saying, "Let’s just say that at some point in my life, they’ve touched my heart in a very special way. They’re very important, even if the relationship evolved to a different status as we moved on. I still care for their welfare; and it’s not unusual to have dinner or chat with them when the occasion allows it. With some, I’ve come to value our private conversations and the friendship we’ve maintained."

Early on in our friendship (the early 80’s), Mar talked about a hope chest he had in his house. He would regularly add to the chest, things he would pick up in his travels that he wanted to gift to his wife-to-be as starting points for the household she would set up. I now asked if the chest still existed, and if it did, was it in some neglected corner of the attic, covered with cobwebs. He had to admit, "It’s still there, but at times, I do wonder about its fate."

Given the brouhaha that remains questioning just how effective President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has been, and the sincerity of her announcement that she would not run in 2004, I reminded Mar of how at one point his personal convictions led him to resign from President Estrada’s Cabinet. Was there a chance of history repeating itself?

"President Arroyo has the skills, the sense, and the compe-tencies to navigate our country through these turbulent times. I find great commonality in our respective world view; we are both careful about unbridled globalization, and share in the conviction that we should always be mindful and supportive of our domestic economy. I don’t foresee a set of circumstances that would have me resigning as I did with the former Administration. In fact, the more pertinent question would be whether she’s still happy with my holding the position." And he smiles.

"I believe her announcement about not running in 2004 sent the right signal to everyone on how she hopes to rise above politics for the duration of her term. While my own agenda does have me returning to elective politics in 2004, probably vying for a senatorial seat, nothing is written in stone. You ask if the Vice Presidential post is being eyed; and yes, it has been mentioned, but until seriously offered, it’s not something I’ve considered. Remember, when one talks of the Vice-Presidency, one is not in control of the situation, one has to be invited. For now, there’s still something to be said for ripening; and I have enough on my mind and hands with the post of Secretary of Trade and Industry."