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5) Roxas served as DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) secretary in 2000, where he would be known as “Mr. Palengke,” for espousing an economic philosophy that likens the palengke (wet market) as a microcosm of the country’s economy. One of his notable programs as Trade secretary is the Personal Computers for Public Schools (PCPS) Program, wherein 30,000 computers were distributed to 2,000 public high schools nationwide.
6) He has also been hailed as the “Father of the Call Center and Business Process Outsourcing Industries.” Under the DTI, he launched “Make IT Philippines,” which enticed US-based companies to set up call centers in the Philippines, creating thousands of jobs for IT workers.
7) In 2004, Roxas was elected to the senate, boasting of the highest number of votes ever garnered by any national candidate in any Philippine election to date. He would go on to chair various senate committees including trade and commerce, education, and consumer affairs. As a senator, he sought to amend the Intellectual Property Code, this led to Senate Bill 2139, which seeks to lower the prices of quality medicines.
