“Shun corruption. Defend the Daang Matuwid.”

This was the challenge posed by Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II as he and six other Cabinet members led the “People’s Dialogue” at the Cebu Normal University yesterday morning.

Sporting the Liberal Party’s famous yellow and black polo shirt, Roxas addressed the audience and encouraged them to support the administration’s platform of good governance.

“We need to defend the Daang Matuwid. There are those who want to return to that dark and dusty road in the past. Why? In that system, they are famous, and they could easily show-off. That’s the trapo-style of governance,” Roxas told the audience in Tagalog.

Roxas and members of the Cabinet listened to and elicited feedbacks from about 200 representatives of different government agencies and the public on how government programs are being implemented.

Not one of the participants mentioned negative comments against the administration.

The activity was supposed to be a dialogue between cabinet secretaries and the public on various programs of the government.

But, during the event, the cabinet secretaries lobbied for Roxas’ presidential bid and the administration’s Daang Matuwid policy.

Aside from Roxas, also present during the activity were Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda, Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, Social Welfare Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Soliman, and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Francis Tolentino.

Among those in the audience were PhilHealth Director Risa Hontiveros, Rep. Luigi Quisumbing of Cebu’s 6th district, Rep. Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas of Cebu’s 1st district, and Iloilo City Lone District Rep. Jerry Treñas.

Later asked in the interview regarding perceptions that he and the cabinet secretaries came to Cebu just to campaign for his presidential bid, Roxas said “Pamumulitika kon kasinungalingan. Pero lahat naman ng sinabi dito ay totoo.” (It’s politics if we were telling lies. But everything we spoke of here were all truth).”