Aksyon Demokratiko presidential candidate Isko Moreno Domagoso on Sunday appealed to voters to support a “Mayor Isko-Doc Willie” tandem to ensure that their “Life and Livelihood” priority program will be implemented during the first two years of a Moreno-Ong administration.
“Well, I get things done. I don’t have to give a timeframe. Since time immemorial, pag ako po’y pumapasok sa gobyerno I really try to excel in every field of undertaking. But eto mga kababayan, basta po kung kami ni Doc Willie ang binigyan nyo ng pagkakataon, tao muna. Life and livelihood in the first 2 years para maitawid namin kayo, itatatawid lang namin kayo,” the 47-year-old local chief executive said.
This was the response made by Moreno to a general question during the CNN-sponsored “Presidential Debates: The Filipino Votes,” held at the University of Santo Tomas Quadricentennial Pavillion. The question was: “How quickly can Filipinos feel your leadership if you become the next president of the country?”
“Ang hirap ng buhay. Tataas ang gasolina, tataas ang bilihin, yun bang maramdaman ninyo na may gobyerno kayong maaasahan, masasandalan. Yun po ang pangarap ko sa inyo. Makatawid tayo, makaraos tayo sa pandemyang ito. Then there will be certainty and predictability in our policy sa ating pamamahala. May awa ang Dios, sa tulong ninyo. Tao muna. Kayo muna,” Moreno said.
The Aksyon Demokratiko standard bearer said the reason he decided to run for president is to be of service to the Filipino people, particularly in providing work to the millions who lost their jobs due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Alam mo itong pandemic, it teaches us a lot of lessons in life, even priorities in life. Sa’kin ang importante, kayong mga kababayan, paano kayo makakatawid sa pandemyang ito? Paano tayo makapagbibigay ng trabaho dun sa apat na milyong trabahanteng nawalan ng trabaho. Yung maliliit na negosyanteng nagsara, paano makaka-recover? Yung wag na sanang magsara. Paano mapapangalagaan ang kapanatagan ng mga empleyado? Buhay ang negosyante, hindi sila naabuso; buhay ang trabaho, panatag ang tao. Maitawid lang natin,” Moreno explained.
Moreno referred to his accomplishments as Manila mayor as proof that he is prepared to become the 17th president of the country. At the height of the pandemic, Moreno said he made sure that the 700,000 families in the city will not go hungry with the regular delivery of food boxes. On top of this are the simultaneous construction of in-city housing projects, hospitals, school buildings and the 344-bed Covid-19 Field Hospital.
“Of all the ideas of my colleagues here, magaganda ang layunin pero we have to do and show proof of our concept, of ideas and policy. What we have done in Manila, naitawid namin ang 700,000 families. We lost 7 percent, we grew by 12 percent. Positive 5 percent pa kami. We economically grew despite these challenges. These are the things that are duplicable, scalable. Maitawid ko lang kayo mga kababayan ko,” he said.
Importance of showing up for debates
Candidates were also asked on the importance of debates in which Moreno agreed and likened presidential debates to persons applying for a job in a company. Presidential hopefuls are here to get the approval of the people who act as the employer, he said.
“Napakahalaga po sapagkat buhay ng tao, ng mga kababayan natin ang ating paglilingkuran sa anim na taon. Ang mga nanonood ngayon, kayo po na nanonood sa mga tahanan niyo, sa mga cellphone ninyo, kayo po ngayon ang HR Department. Kami po ay aplikante sa trabaho. Gusto mo naman bang mag-hire ng isang empleyado na hindi mo nakausap, hindi mo nakita, hindi mo nalaman kung ano ang karanasan, anong magagawa para sa iyong kampanya, metaphorically speaking?” Moreno said.
The presidential bet continued: “I think ang mga kababayan natin ay may karapatang marinig ang mga layunin ng aking mga kapwa kandidato. And you deserve that. You deserve to know what is in our minds, ano ang nasa isipan namin, ano ang nasa puso namin. Maaaring kami’y may pagkakaiba-iba, but what matters most ay marinig nyo mismo mga kababayan sa bibig namin kung ano ang tunay na layunin namin at mga pangarap natin para mapataas yung antas ng pamumuhay ng tao. And I think, debate for that matter is very important.”
Prior to CNN Philippines’ presidential debates, Moreno had attended the January 22 Jessica Soho interviews, Jan. 27 Boy Abunda interview and the February 4 Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) Presidential Forum.
“Life and Livelihood” economic policy
If elected president, Moreno vowed to pursue a “Life and Livelihood” economic policy that aims to address poverty, hunger, unemployment, inequality and social injustice through an inclusive and equitable infrastructure development program as spelled out under his 10-point Bilis Kilos Economic Agenda.
To achieve this, the Moreno administration will continue the Build, Build Build program of President Rodrigo Duterte, with focus on building more public housing, more public schools, and more public hospitals across the country to create more jobs and opportunities for our people.
To further alleviate the plight of the masses and protect industries, he will work closely with Congress to reduce the taxes by 50 percent on two most basic commodities – petroleum and electricity. He also vowed to revive and support the MSME sector through various government interventions, as well as promote a culture of sustainable tourism by developing tourism highways and tourism circuits among others.
To further hasten human and economic growth, Moreno also vowed to strengthen physical, economic and digital linkages among growth centers and the rural economies. This can be done through the building of a national fiber optic backbone to boost the country’s communication capability and connect all schools, government offices and industries that rely heavily on internet connectivity.
Moreno’s accelerated infrastructure program also prioritizes building more power plants, both conventional and renewable, to ensure a stable and affordable supply of electricity to grow the economy and attract foreign investments. To oversee this is an open, transparent, inclusive, and streamlined bureaucracy headed by the “best, brightest and most experienced patriotic Filipinos.”
And like what he did in Manila, Moreno’s Bilis Kilos agenda also calls for smart governance, which promotes citizen participation and rapid delivery of services through automation and digitalization of government processes; and promotes transparency by making public data accessible to all in a format that is user-friendly, digestible, open, free and downloadable.
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