Cavite Gov. Jonvic Remulla and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno. FILE PHOTOS
MANILA, Philippines — “Hindi ka pa nga Pangulo, ang yabang mo na.” (You are not a President yet, but already you’re arrogant.)
Cavite Gov. Jonvic Remulla issued this remark in a rather scathing Facebook post on Friday, as he defended Naic Mayor Jun Dualan against Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso, who allegedly castigated his fellow local chief executive over distributions of the so-called ECQ aid.
Remulla took up the cudgels for Dualan, who supposedly did not give or delayed giving the financial assistance to some residents of Naic who were informal settlers of the city of Manila and relocated to the province via the program of the National Housing Authority.
In a recent news report, Moreno, who was reacting to the ECQ aid distribution for the relocates from Manila, said: “Noong mga nakaraang ayuda, nagpadala ako doon. At kung may sosobra pa kami—kasi niyayakap din namin dito sa Maynila kahit hindi botante. And I hope they will do the same.”
(In past financial assistance programs, we distributed aid there. And if ever we would have a surplus — because here in Manila, we embrace even those who are not voters here. And I hope they will do the same.)
“Alam mo style kasi ng trapong politiko ‘yan eh. ‘Yung botante, hindi botante. Tutal doon na sila nakatira, next time magma-rehistro na sila doon sa bayan na ‘yun hindi dahil para iboto ‘yung loko-loko na ‘yun,” he also said.
(You know, that’s a style of a traditional politician. Whether you’re a local voter or not. Since they live there already, next time they will register in that municipality and will not vote for that fool.)
This pronouncement of Moreno apparently did not sit well with Remulla, who asserted that those who moved to Cavite from Manila City are being treated as Caviteños.
Remulla explained that the funds provided by the national government for the ECQ aid were not enough and that the families who relocated to Cavite were not included in the 2015 census that served as the basis for the distribution of the financial assistance.
“Yorme, alam ng lahat ang ambisyon mong maging Pangulo. Wala namang isyu don. Libre mangarap ang kahit sino. Pero sana ay huwag mong tapakan ang iba para lamang umangat ka. Hindi ka pa nga Pangulo ay ang yabang mo na,” he said.
(Mayor, we all know your ambition to become President. There is no issue with that. Anyone is free to dream. But please do not step on others so you can rise up. You are not a President yet, but you’re already arrogant.)
“Hirap na hirap na nga kami dito, kami pa ang ginawa mong rason dahil sa pagka-atat mong sumikat. Sana, pag-aralan mo muna ang suliranin bago ka magpuputak ng walang kwenta,” the Cavite governor added.
(We are already having a hard time here but you even used us as a reason just because you’re too eager to shine. Hope you first analyzed the problem before you made those senseless remarks.)
Moreno should likewise not drag Caviteños if he wants fame, said Remulla.
“Kung pagpapasikat lang ang gusto mo, hindi mo kailangan mang-apak ng Caviteño. ‘Wag kaming mga Caviteño ang pag-initan mo. Hindi ka namin uurungan,” he said.
(If you only want fame, you don’t need to step on a Caviteño. Do not pick on Caviteños. We won’t back off.)
Remulla likewise said that while the Office of the Governor is not involved in the distribution of the ECQ aid, he is in continuous coordination with the mayors in the province regarding their issues with distribution.
“‘Yung sinasabi ni Yorme na hindi binigyan ng SAP (Social Amelioration Program) ang mga galing Maynila? Ito ay dahil kulang ang ibinigay ng National Government ayon sa kada-pamilya na apektado,” he explained.
(What the mayor said about not giving financial assistance to those from Manila? This is due to insufficient funds from the national government based on the families affected.)
“Ang bilang ng SAP ay ayon sa 2015 census. Ibig sabihin, ang SAP na para sa 1,092 pamilya ay naka-pondo po ngayon sa Maynila at hindi sa Naic. Lumipat lamang ang mga pamilya na ito noong 2019. Kaya’t sinong Mayor ang may hawak ng pera?” he added.
(The number of SAP is based on the 2015 census. This means that the 1,092 families are still covered by funds under Manila and not Naic. They only transferred in 2019. So which mayor is holding the funds?)
INQUIRER.net has sought the comment of Moreno and his office regarding this issue but has yet to receive a reply as of posting time.