Isko Moreno says love for ordinary people is his reason to run in 2022

(FILE) Aspiring president Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso in Malabon City on Thursday, December 9, 2021. | Contributed photo

ANTIPOLO CITY, Philippines  — Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno on Thursday urged the public not to be taken in by false promises amid the torrent of misleading claims made by candidates that is typical in any election cycle.

“Mag-ingat kayo mga kababayan. Ngayon lima-singko ang pangakuhan. Di niyo ba naririnig? Magmumura raw ang bigas, huwag kayo magpapaniwala na magiging P12 uli ang bigas. Hindi totoo yun na ibabalik daw nila yung panahon nila. Hindi totoo yun, nakalipas na yun,” Moreno said to about 2,000 traders and transport sector members in CMA market in Antipolo City.

Moreno said his love for ordinary people made him decide to run for president and offer the public a serious and highly-qualified candidate who is willing to change the system of governance in the country that was ruled mostly by elitist politics for the past 60 years.

The 47-year-old presidential aspirant sees it as an obligation to bring about an inclusive and equitable government focused on uplifting the lives of the masses because he is one of them, having been raised in the slums of Tondo where he was forced to scavenge for leftover food and later on collected trash and became a pedicab driver.

“Hindi tayo pinagpala. Hindi katulad ng ibang mga tumatakbo, anak ng presidente, ginto-ginto dito, gintong kutsara ag bibig, kaya hindi maintindihan ang buhay natin,” he said.

“Ang totoong buhay ng tao ay kayo. Ang buhay ng tao ang totoong buhay ng Pilipinas,” said Moreno.

If elected president, Moreno said his first priorities would be to provide the minimum basic needs of the people – housing, education, health, and jobs – in order for them to weather the socio-economic impacts of the pandemic.

Like what he had done in Manila, the local chief executive said he will build more public housing, more public hospitals, more public-school buildings, and create more job opportunities.

“Itutuloy ko ang Build, Build, Build program ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte at magdadagdag tayo ng ating sariling Build, Build, Build – to build more housing, hospitals, schools and jobs,” he said.

He would also cut by half the excise taxes on oil and electricity to alleviate the sufferings of the people, raise their income, increase their purchasing power, and stimulate consumer spending.

But Moreno said he could only do all these if he is elected, thus the support of the ordinary people is crucial for his success since he has no gold nor billions for his campaign.

“Kaya tulungan ninyo kami nila Doc Willie Ong, (senatorial slate) Samira Gutoc, Jopet Sison at Carl Balita. Piso-piso lang,” he said, referring to text messages or social media posts.

“Dahil gumastos kayo sa akin, maeron kayong singilin. Ang bayad ko naman, simple lang – magkakaroon kayo ng mainam, masinop at episyenteng pamahalaan. Tao muna. Dahil kayo lang ang pinaghuhugutan lo ng lakas ng loob – tao, tao, tao,” said Moreno.

Meanwhile, Ong, Gutoc, and Sison said Moreno’s achievements in Manila are proof that his promises are all based on real achievements, not just things that other candidates will still have to do.

Ong said among Moreno’s achievements include: the modern Ospital ng Maynila, vertical housing like the Tondominium and Binondominium, modern 10-story public school buildings, social services for senior citizens, and assistance to public school students and teachers in the form of allowances, tablets, and free internet access, among others.

He said Moreno also embarked on a massive vaccination drive that is open even to non-residents of the city, even giving COVID drugs like mulnopiravir, remdesivir and tocilizumab for free to whoever needs the life-saving drugs.

“At pag naging presidente siya, sinabi na niya sa akin ang sikreto, unang buwan pa lang, malilinis ang Pilipinas. Hindi lang basura ang malilinis, maraming malilinis sa gobyerno. Biglang titino ang gobyerno, kasi magiging matino ang presidente ng Pilipinas,” said Ong.

Gutoc said she left her 6-year-old child to join Team Isko because she saw in Moreno the compassion for his fellowmen.

“Yung anim na taon na anak ko iniwan ko dahil naniniwala ako sa Bilis kilos. Kung kaya niyang gawin na bigyan ng ayuda ang hindi taga-Maynila, tayo din, ganun ang simpatiya niya sa mga taga-probinsya,” she said.

Sison said people only have to look at Moreno’s many accomplishments to see who among the candidates deserved to be the next president.

“Kung nalilito kayo kung sino ang iboboto dahil sa dami ng salitaan sa panahon ng kampanyahan, maraming fake news, tignan ninyo ang ginawa. At sa ginawa ni Mayor Isko, ang sinisigaw, ang taong ito may malasakit, sa mga nagawa, ang iniisip mamamyan muna; bilis kilos, serbisyo muna, may kakayahan, higit na mapagkakatiwalaan ng mamamayan. At pag Nakita niyo  ang ginawa, panalo na po si Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso,” said Sison.

/MUF