How do you solve a problem like Mar Roxas?

We can only commiserate with the campaign strategists of former Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas, who is now the Liberal Party standard-bearer.

After an initial upward tick in his public-preference survey ratings, the LP bet continues to trail his opponents in the polls. Compounding his woes is the latest Pulse Asia survey that showed erstwhile non-candidate Digong Duterte leading the pack as far as Metro Manila voter preference is concerned.

Duterte topped the survey, conducted on November 11 and 12, with a 34-percent rating.

Poe was in second place, with 27 percent, while Binay came in third with 22 percent. Administration bet Roxas was fourth in the national capital region, garnering only half of what third-placer Vice President Jejomar Binay was able to muster, and Sen. Miriam Santiago trailed behind, with 7 percent.

Is there anything left in his campaign team’s bag of bright ideas that can help raise his voter-preference ratings?

Really, how does one solve a problem like Mar?

Roxas already has the endorsement of the incumbent President.

He already got Leni Robredo as his running mate.

He has the supposedly non-paid “endorsement” of the country’s most popular teenage love team.

Still, he trails his rivals.

Survey leader Sen. Grace Poe is mired in a messy controversy over her citizenship and residence. Yet, Roxas has never caught up with her.

Erstwhile survey leader Vice President Binay has long been buried in an avalanche of corruption charges. Still, Roxas has never overtaken him in the polls.

For a time, Duterte was technically out of the race. Yet, Metro Manilans have placed him at the top of their preference list. Roxas was never there.

Pulse Asia Research Director Ana Tabunda explained the survey has a margin of error of 6 percent —which statistically means Duterte, Poe, and Binay are actually in a three-way tie.

What’s clear is that Roxas is behind the three.

The latest survey, she added, had only 300 respondents, pointing out the margin for error would be smaller if there were more respondents.

According to Tabunda, Duterte’s possible entry into the presidential race would affect Poe’s numbers the most. Unlike Poe, Binay’s and Roxas’s numbers did not change significantly even with Duterte in the picture.

What really is the problem of Roxas and how can his brilliant team of communication experts led by Palace mouthpiece Edwin Lacierda solve that problem?

According to the public relations and advertising industry grapevine, Roxas’s camp is set to launch a major paid-ad campaign, hoping to raise his ratings in time for the long Christmas break.

This is logical. Heavy advertising spending does work some magic. The problem is that the rumored major ad campaign is reportedly still harping on “tuwid na daan” and Roxas’s impeccable track record and character.

If the rumor proves true, Roxas appears to be set to waste precious campaign funds.

Everyone already knows that he is for “tuwid na daan.”

Everyone already knows he never stole or lied w or cheated. Everyone already knows that he wants to make the country more progressive.

Everyone already knows that he has the answer to all of the country’s problems and that he is the best person to solve them.

The problem is they already have heard all of these and yet they are not going gaga over Roxas.

Maybe, it is about time the Lacierda brigade come up with something the public has not yet heard about Roxas.

If Lacierda’s team would only take time to ask the ordinary Filipino, he just might find out what the problem with Roxas is.

It could be that the problem has nothing to do with how bright, how great Roxas is or how snowy white his conscience is.

It’s not that they don’t know who he is.

It’s just that he is difficult to like and love.

The Filipino does not vote for the greatest or the brightest.

We vote for someone we like.

We hope the Lacierda team discovers an answer.

When an administration candidate has done all he can and yet has not gained momentum or voter preference, we can only shudder at the thought of what else he has up his sleeve in order to seal an election win.