Isko: Good governance, prudent utilization of resources needed to finance ambitious programs 

Manila Mayor and presidential aspirant Isko Moreno Domagoso during his participation in the “Panata sa Bayan: The KBP Presidential Candidates Forum.” Contributed photo

MANILA, Philippines — With the next president of the country inheriting an estimated P13-trillion debt, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso on Friday said that if elected president, he will finance his ambitious projects under his 10-point Economic Agenda though an effective, efficient and prudent management of government resources under an open, transparent and inclusive administration.  

“The thing is we must continue to pursue, kailangan nating talaga na hikayatin natin ang ating mga kababayan na patuloy na mangarap at magkaroon ng pag-asa na itong mga pngarap na ito ay mangyayari sa isang mainam. masinop at episyenteng pamamahala, na siya rin namang ginawa natin sa Lungsod ng Maynila,” Moreno said during the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas Presidential Candidates Forum. 

The 47-year-old presidential aspirant pointed out that when he became mayor of Manila, the city’s financial status is also in the red, but still managed to bring the Philippine capital into what it is now through good governance. 

“Noong pumasok ako sa Maynila, walang kapera-pera, zero literally. Pero through good governance, through effective, efficient governance, nakaahon kami. Tapos may pandemya, lahat ng pinangako namin sa mga taga-Maynila, nangyari. Yung sampung taong pangako, nangyari sa dalawang taon na nasa loob pa ng pandemya,” said Moreno. 

(When I became Manila mayor, the local government has zero fund, literally. But through effective, efficient governance, we managed to rise. Then pandemic came, but still, all our promises to Manila residents had been fulfilled. The promises that had been in Manila for 10 years, we made it happen for only two years, and under the pandemic condition.)

Moreno’s impressive infrastructure projects in the Philippine capital include six vertical housing projects for informal settlers that are 15 to 20 floors high, like Tondominium and Binondominium, with some having swimming pools and fitness centers. 

Then there are the three modern public school buildings being built that are 10 floors high, each outfitted with around 200 airconditioned classrooms, basketball courts, gyms, and roof decks. 

And the just inaugurated 10-storey Bagong Ospital ng Maynila has a 384-bed capacity with 12 intensive care units (ICUs), and 20 private rooms. It also has a three-storey parking building and a helipad for emergency medical evacuations.  

These were all undertaken by the City Government of Manila under Moreno’s leadership to provide Manileños, especially the needy, with quality housing, education, and health care and service.  

Furthermore, these projects were all achieved in a single three-year mayoral term without raising taxes and during a pandemic at that, generating a lot of jobs and income at a time when people greatly needed both.

At the height of the pandemic, he distributed, and continues to distribute, tablets and laptops with free bandwidth to public school students and school teachers for the continuing education of the youth.   

The Aksyon Demokratiko standard bearer also set about to digitalize and automate government transactions to facilitate the ease of doing business and efficient collection of taxes, thus reducing human discretion that is the root of corruption. 

Through all this, Moreno was also able to pay the debts incurred by his predecessors.

Moreno wants to replicate all these throughout the country should he be elected president under his 10-point Bilis Kilos Economic Agenda. 

“So hindi siya imposible. At ang pangungutang, kailangan binabayaran. Importanteng nagbabayad tayo ng utang,” said Moreno.

(So, that is not impossible. Loans should be paid. What’s important is for us to pay the debt.)

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JPV