Presidential contender and Manila mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso. SCREENSHOT FROM YOUTUBE LIVESTREAM
MANILA, Philippines — The camp of Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso said he succeeded in hammering home the issue of former Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s unpaid taxes during the first debate organized by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Saturday.
“He did well,” Domagoso’s chief strategist Lito Banayo told the Inquirer in a Viber message.
Banayo, a veteran political operator who also advised President Rodrigo Duterte in the 2016 campaign, said it was the Manila mayor who made the decision to repeatedly broach the unsettled tax obligations of Marcos, who did not attend the debate.
During the debate, the 47-year-old mayor came out swinging at the absent Marcos by alluding to “that one family which owes P203 billion in estate tax.”
“I will make sure to collect payment. I will take back that P200 billion and I will give it to our farmers. I will give it to our drivers, as cash aid for our people who are in need of help,” Domagoso said.
During a segment on online disinformation, Domagoso again brought up the Marcoses’ unpaid taxes, emphasizing that “it’s not fake news” because the Supreme Court had already ruled on the matter with finality.
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