MANILA, Philippines — Manila Mayor Isko Moreno has asked his constituents to accompany him on a trip to combat various crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, in a seeming reference to the 2022 elections.
During his live broadcast on Tuesday, Moreno implied that there would not be too big an opponent if people were united regardless of their political affiliation.
“Samahan ninyo ako, maglayag tayo, tingin ko ‘pag tayo nagsama-sama — anyway at the end of the day iisang bangka tayo — tingin ko, ‘pag layag natin sa mga alon, bagyo, unos and so on and so forth basta’t sama-sama tayo at nagkakaisa tayo? Kahit ano pang partido nila,” the mayor said.
(Join me, we would set sail, I think if we come together — any way at the end of the day we are just one ship — I think we can manage to sail past waves, storms, other calamities and so on and so forth if we are united. Whatever political party they are from.)
“Eh ‘yon namang partido nila ano naman ‘yon eh, away lang ng mga pulitiko ‘yon eh. Tayo, tao, mamamayan, umaasa sa pamahalaan, ‘yan ang focus natin, ‘yan ang thrust natin,” he added.
(Anyway, their party is just made up of politicians from quarreling factions. But us, we, the people, the citizens who rely on government, this is our focus, that is our thrust.)
Moreno also appeared to voice his displeasure with the administration over its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, questioning how variants of the disease were able to enter the country as if the Philippine authorities were assembling Greek letters into a fraternity.
“Bakit nakapasok ang Delta variant sa Pilipinas? Nakapasok ‘yong Alpha, nakapasok ‘yong Beta, nakapasok ‘yong Delta, ang susunod na n’yan ‘yong Lambda, o Tau Gamma, o kung ano man, lahat na siguro ng fraternity n’yan eh pwede nang pumasok,” Moreno said.
(Why did the Delta variant make its way into the Philippines? The Alpha variant entered, Beta too, Delta, what’s next is Lambda, Tau Gamma, or whatever, all Greek-lettered fraternities may be allowed to enter.)
According to Moreno, instead of addressing the problems directly, the government is apparently sensationalizing issues to conceal more pressing issues.
“Ito’y personal kong paniniwala kasi hindi naman ‘to natin naririnig sa mga ahensya ng gobyerno, mas marami silang sinasabing ibang bagay to create smokescreen, ang ibig kong sabihin ng smokescreen, ay ‘yan ‘yong para malito ‘yong mga tumitingin, para lumabo ang mga mata ninyo,” he added.
(This is my personal belief because we have not heard anything from the government agencies, they resort to saying a lot of things to create smokescreens — by smokescreen, I mean things that distract people, to blind you from the issues.)
Apart from these things, Moreno’s briefing also discussed the possibility of the Delta variant already spreading in the metropolis. Also, he reminded people to get their COVID-19 vaccination shots despite the torrential rain and flooding — an apparent response to President Rodrigo Duterte’s tirade on Monday.
During his final State of the Nation Address (Sona), Duterte said that a local government unit (LGU) which he did not name allegedly left people to line up for COVID-19 vaccines despite heavy rains.
READ: Duterte hits LGU for letting people queue for vaccines amid rain, flood
Despite not knowing which city Duterte meant, news reports showed that in Manila, people had to wade through floodwaters to get their vaccine shots because of the southwest monsoon.
READ: Vaccinations to continue as COVID-19 more threatening than floods, rain
Moreno said his advocacy for vaccinations is backed by science and not merely hearsay.
“Remember we continue to campaign for you to get vaccinated, and that is important. Why? Because hindi naman pwede na huhulaan na lamang natin at magke-kwentuhan tayo sa gabi, at magbobolahan tayo ng mga tao natin at ipakikita natin sa tao as if it is okay,” he said.
(Why? Because we cannot just second guess what’s going on and chit-chat by night, play jokes with our officials and show the people that it seems to be okay.)
“But we know for a fact it’s not okay. So hindi pwedeng hinuhulaan na lang natin, (So we cannot just guess what’s happening), we really have to come up with an objective,” he added.
Moreno is currently one of the frontrunners for the 2022 presidential elections, along with Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, former senator Bongbong Marcos, Senator Grace Poe, and Senator Manny Pacquiao.
As of Pulse Asia’s June 2021 survey, Moreno ranks second, behind Duterte-Carpio who leads the pack. The local official, however, has yet to confirm whether he is indeed running for president in 2022.
READ: Duterte-Duterte tandem leads in Pulse Asia survey
READ: Sara Duterte, Bongbong Marcos, Grace Poe lead Pulse Asia’s 2022 presidential survey