Manuel "Mar" Araneta Roxas II (Tagalog pronunciation: [ˈɾɔhas]; born May 13, 1957) is a Filipino politician who served as a Senator of the Philippines.

After graduation from the University of Pennsylvania,[1][2] Roxas worked as a banker in New York, mobilizing venture capital funds for small and medium enterprises.

[8] Afterwards, on August 31, 2012, President Aquino nominated him as Secretary of the Interior and Local Government, replacing Jesse Robredo who died in a plane crash.

He was officially endorsed by President Aquino to continue the present administration's reforms, collectively dubbed Daang Matuwid ("straight path"), which he formally accepted on July 31, 2015.

[9][10][11] On August 3, 2015, Roxas officially tendered his resignation as Secretary of the Interior and Local Government in order to focus on his presidential campaign.

[19] After graduation, he worked for seven years as an investment banker in New York City, and became an assistant vice president of the New York-based Allen & Company.

[20] Following the 1985 announcement by President Ferdinand Marcos of a snap election, Roxas took leave of absence to join the presidential campaign of Corazon Aquino.

[23] During his stint, Roxas was named as Chairman of the Information Technology and Electronic Commerce Council, a body formed with the participation of both the government and private sector to monitor the implementation of the E-Commerce Law (Republic Act 8792) and programs pushing for the growth of IT-enabled services.

[26] In January 2001, just days after Estrada had been overthrown, Roxas was re-appointed to the same office by newly installed President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

[22] As a proponent of the philosophy of 'palengkenomics', which considers the "palengke" (wet market) as a microcosm of the economy, Roxas conducted weekly monitoring of the prices of prime commodities.

Among his projects were the following palengke-based programs which promoted supply chain efficiencies: His work regarding trade policy was highlighted during the 2003 WTO meeting in Cancún, Mexico, where he fought for increased market access for Philippine exports, particularly agricultural products and a rationalized Philippine trade regime so that domestic industries would not be harmed.

This institution, which was composed of members of the government and the private sector, was formed to monitor the implementation of the E-Commerce Law (Republic Act 8792) and programs pushing for the growth of IT-enabled services.

[35] Roxas voted against the Human Security Act together with Senator Jamby Madrigal saying that "the fight against terror requires urgent operational reforms over measures that could impair civil liberties".

[36] Roxas' legislative agenda for the 14th Congress is as follows: On November 26, 2007, LP National Executive Council officials resolved to appoint him as president of the Liberal Party.

[48] Lito Atienza, however, forthwith questioned Roxas' appointment, attacking the composition of Liberal Party's National Executive Council (NECO) and alleging that the Supreme Court of the Philippines' June 5 resolution ordered the LP leadership's status quo maintenance.

135 calling on President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to issue a pardon to former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada (popularly known as "Erap") at the appropriate time, in which he said: "The grant of pardon to Erap on humanitarian grounds should not in any way be construed as condoning corruption, or as diminishing the legal weight of the ruling of the Sandiganbayan, but serves solely as an embodiment of the people's will for closure on one of the most divisive chapters of our national life.

"[52] He issued a warning after President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo pressed on the Senate to ratify the Japan-Philippine Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) amid concerns aired by Tokyo for the early approval.

Other signs included the sprouting of Mar Roxas for President spots on the internet and his colleagues endorsing him as the party's standard bearer.

[55] However, on September 1, 2009, at the historic Club Filipino in San Juan, Metro Manila, Roxas delivered a speech at a press conference announcing his decision to withdraw from the race and support the candidacy of Aquino for the presidency.

He was defeated by Makati mayor Jejomar Binay of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP–Laban) by the narrowest margin in the history of the Fifth Republic.

[58] Roxas also requested the Presidential Electoral Tribunal to order an independent forensic examination of the 26,000 compact flash cards and the source code of the PCOS machines used in the 2010 elections.

[60] On August 31, 2012, President Aquino appointed him as Secretary of the Interior and Local Government, replacing Jesse Robredo, who had died in a plane crash on the shores of Masbate Island thirteen days earlier.

[62] On August 3, 2015, Roxas officially tendered his resignation as Secretary of the Interior and Local Government in order to focus on his presidential campaign.

In his resignation letter to President Aquino, he once again thanked him for his endorsement and vowed to "begin the process of turning over in an orderly manner all the matters pending in my office.

"[63] During his final flag ceremony at Camp Crame, Roxas bade goodbye to his colleagues and thanked the members of the Philippine National Police.

On July 31, 2015, at an event dubbed as "A Gathering of Friends", Roxas formally accepted his party's nomination after he was officially endorsed by President Benigno Aquino III in the presence of their political allies at the Club Filipino, where Roxas had announced his decision to withdraw from the 2010 presidential election and give way to Aquino's presidential bid.

In an interview with Sa Totoo Lang on One PH on August 26, 2021, Roxas stated that he is retired from politics, saying that he does not have communications with the 1Sambayan opposition coalition.

[77] They married on October 27, 2009, at a ceremony at Santo Domingo Church in Quezon City, where Roxas' former running mate in the 2010 election, then-Senator (later President) Benigno Aquino III, was one of the couple's primary wedding sponsors.

[20] In 2019, they announced the arrival of their twins who were born through surrogacy named Pepe Ramon Gerardo Manuel Denzel and Pilar Judith Celia Ester Korina.