Isko Moreno meets supporters in Oriental Mindoro.
ORIENTAL MINDORO, Philippines – Aksyon Demokratiko standard-bearer and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso led his slate in barnstorming Mindoro as he secures the endorsements of several local officials here where a two-day sortie has been scheduled.
Moreno and the rest of Team Isko held a series of motorcades and town hall meetings as part of the campaign strategy to cover as many kilometers as possible and to meet and greet as many people as possible with the end-result of convincing more voters to make a switch to “Isko.”
One such convert is former Roxas town vice-mayor Cesar Baticos, who ran under the Liberal Party in the 2019 mid-term elections but unfortunately lost in his bid for another shot at reelection. He endorsed Moreno right in a town hall meeting Thursday.
“Ngayon po ang hinihiling ko sa inyo, mahal nyo ba si Isko Moreno? Tandan po ninyo ang sasabihin ko, tandaan nyo po ng mabuti. Ang kanya pong mga kasama ay andidito, kilala po ninyo. Kung kayo po ay boboto ay pilitin ninyo na itong grupo ay inyo pong masuportahan at ito po ang aking bilin. At tandaan nyo, kung mahal ninyo si Isko Moreno hindi na kayo boboto ng kabila or iba pang mga kalaban,” Baticos told a cheering crowd.
Baticos continued: “Hindi kayo papayag na ipagpalit si Mayor Isko sa ibang kandidato. Kaya ang aking pakiusap tandaan po ninyo ang mga taong andirito babalik sila sa bayan ng Roxas upang tayo ay suklian. Alam ko marami sa inyo ang nagugutom, alam kong marami sa inyo ang nauuhaw, ngunit sa inyong pagpunta rito ay hindi mababayaran. Ngunit pag nanalo si Isko Moreno at ang kanyang grupo, ang lahat ng iyan ay kanilang masusuklian.”
Manila Mayor Isko Moreno greets supporters in Oriental Mindoro.
Moreno thanked Baticos for his kind word as he also asked Roxas town residents to also vote for his running Dr. Willie Ong, Aksyon senatorial candidates Samira Gutoc, Carl Balita, and Jopet Sison, and guest candidate John Castriciones of PDP-Laban “because all of them can do good for the country.”
Oriental Mindoro, incidentally, is the home province of Balita, the only licensed midwife, registered nurse and doctor of education who is gunning for a seat in the Senate.
“Una, nagpapasalamat ako sa Diyos, pangalawa sa kanila. This is our second time here in Mindoro and we’re gonna do both sides of Mindoro, today (Thursday) and tomorrow (Friday). Two days tayo rito. Motorcade, townhall, courtesy call and meet and greet, and some meetings with local officials on the side,” Moreno told reporters here.
“May awa ang Diyos, tuluy-tuloy lang. As we have promised, we will continue to go to you. Kami ang pupunta sa inyo, sa inyong eskinita, tapat ng bahay, kalsada, highway and so on and so forth. And I’m happy to be with Doc Willie today, Carl Balita, Samira Gutoc, Jopet Sison and John Castriciones. So, salamat sa Diyos, nagpapasalamat ako sa mga taga-Mindoro sa mainit nilang pagtanggap,” said the 47-year-old presidential bet.
According to Moreno, among the issues, he would like to address in Mindoro if he becomes president are internet connectivity and electricity.
“Well, one of course, the internet connectivity here and the electricity na talagang… hinihika. But the thing is, kaya kami magta-town hall, to seek and to see and to know kung ano ang mga kakailanganin nila o mga pinapangarap nila para sa kanilang lugar dito sa Mindoro. So, we’re gonna continue to engage yung ating mga kababayan,” Moreno pointed out.
After visiting Roxas town, Moreno also paid a courtesy call to Bongabong Municipal Mayor Elgin Malaluan and Bansud Mayor Ronaldo Moralda.
Later in the afternoon, Moreno and the rest of the Aksyon candidates traveled to Calapan City for a motorcade and a town hall meeting at the Calapan City Plaza.
Moreno vowed that if elected president, his administration will 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, his administration will continue the Build, Build Build program of President Rodrigo Duterte, with a 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 on two of the most basic of commodities – petroleum and electricity.
Moreno 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.