MANILA - Senator and vice-presidential candidate Manuel "Mar" Roxas on Tuesday said he is ready to take on all comers including Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno who is being touted as the Lakas-Kampi Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) vice-presidential bet for the 2010 elections.

Roxas said he is not threatened by Puno's candidacy despite the latter's 22 years in govenment and track record in mounting the presidential campaigns of Fidel Ramos, Joseph Estrada and Gloria Arroyo.

"For me, laban lang 'yan. Maybe his choices before also had support from the people. It is important to see that our countrymen are really flocking to the banner of [Sen. Benigno] "Noynoy" Aquino III because they see that under him, they can again dream. They see that he will not steal," Roxas said in an interview on ABS-CBN's "Umagang Kay Ganda."

The senator said he is still hoping that the various would be able to form a single opposition ticket so as not to split the vote in next year's polls. He also said 2010 elections are fast shaping up to be a call for genuine reform in government.

"This is my analysis. The 2010 elections will be for those who want to continue the present trapo, tayo-tayo, transactional politics against those who want straightforward and true reform. We stand for reform," he said.

He said Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Romulo's endorsement of Aquino's presidential bid is just the first of an expected series of endorsements for the potential Liberal Party standard bearer.

Asked if he expects more top government officials to declare support for Noynoy, Roxas said: "Very much so. Nakikita naman kung saan ang pag-asa ng bansa."

"Nagpapasalamat kami kay Secretary Romulo. He was the budget secretary at the time of [former president] Cory Aquino. He has an unblemished record while he was handling the country's budget. I am not surprised that he declared support for Noynoy," he said.

On the matter of campaign finances, he said various groups are flocking to Aquino's camp to help in the LP campaign.

"There are so many helping us especially the professionals and these piso-piso drives. There is so much money coming in. Some of the money even had notes stapled on them that said: 'With this money is our hope.' This is the reason why we are working hard so that we will not fail our countrymen," he said.

He also pointed out that Aquino is not accepting all offers for help. "Senator Noynoy is being choosy, he doesn't accept help from just anyone. He told me he didn't want his hands tied just because a person helped him during the campaign," he said.

Roxas said he is already at peace with his decision to withdraw from the presidential race and support Aquino's bid instead. "Maaliwalas ang kalooban ko. Ang magandang pagtingin ng mga kababayan, mas mahalaga ito kaysa sa titulo o posisyon na matatanggap ko," he said.

He said his own mother, Judy Araneta, also supported his move to withdraw from the presidential race.

"She saw that it was not a politically calculated move. I had already jumped in and  there was no calculation. I just knew it was the right thing to do, bahala na kung ano ang mangyari. I set aside and sacrificed my own plan and I joined the cause that would benefit the most people," he said.