LET the voters judge on election day if they believe Liberal Party presidential candidate Manuel Roxas II was a “super hero and savior” during Super Typhoon ‘‘Yolanda’’ as depicted in his 28-page campaign comic book, senatorial candidate Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez dared Saturday.
At Saturday Forum @ Anabels in Quezon City, Romualdez came to the defense of his cousin Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez, who was portrayed in the Roxas comic book as “partying” the night before Yolanda flattened Eastern Visayas.
“Mar and even Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin saw Mayor Alfred that night. They were together in the command conference. So where’s the party?”
The mayor dared Roxas and his supporters to show proof that he was partying on the eve of the onslaught.
He said he and his family, including his children were upset by the unfair accusation considering that his wife Cristina and children almost died that fateful night.
“Yes, my daughter could not understand why her father was not around the night before the killer typhoon struck. But she understands I do not party. I was out doing the rounds, compelling people to evacuate to safer grounds,” Mayor Romualdez said.
“I came home past midnight but I was out not partying but because I went to coastal areas to check if people remained in their houses despite strict orders that they had to leave,” he said.
“That night, I was with Secretaries Roxas and Gazmin for a command conference. They presided over that conference, I was there with them, they saw me. I did not go out partying because I do not party,” the mayor said.
Mayor Romualdez described the partying depiction as “very malicious” and noted that the command conference was even documented on video.
“The command conference was captured on video. I have evidence to prove I was not out partying. I can even present witnesses because many people saw me that night attending to the fire that gutted a house in downtown Tacloban and the storm evacuees. Do they have proof to show otherwise? Then I dare them to produce their evidence,” the mayor said.
Rep. Romualdez said if Roxas thought he was a hero, “then so be it.”
“Let him think he was a hero. Good for him. But let the people also judge him whether or not they believe he is indeed a hero,” the congressman said.
But Romualdez said he was not about to ask the Roxas camp to stop circulating the comic books.
“It is up to them whether to continue circulating or distributing it. All I know is that the people know better. Let the people decide whether to believe or not what was depicted in the comic book,” Congressman Romualdez said.
“But one thing is sure and it is up to Secretary Roxas to admit it or not, my cousin Alfred and Secretary Roxas, along with Secretary Gazmin, were together that night in a command conference,” Rep. Romualdez said.