Joseph Estrada misses start of Isko Moreno’s Senate bid

THE GANG’S all here, except for Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, who is a no-show as his former running mate, Vice Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso, kicks off his candidacy for a Senate seat at his former high school. JODEE AGONCILLO

When Manila Vice Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso formally announced his bid for senator at his alma mater on Friday, one of his most avid supporters, Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada, was nowhere to be found.

Instead, Domagoso took the stage at Tondo High School with presidential candidate Grace Poe and her running mate, Sen. Francis Escudero. He is the second senatorial candidate to be endorsed by the pair after Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Neri Colmenares.

“What I like most about Isko is that he has a real story for people to draw inspiration from. He came from poverty but he did not forget where he came from. He speaks from the heart. The Filipino people need him: Someone who can understand their plight and a person they can draw inspiration from,” Poe said of Domagoso.

“Meron kang (You have) hugot,” she told the Tondo-born official.

Estrada, meanwhile, explained his absence by saying he did not want to share the stage with Escudero who supported President Benigno Aquino III in the 2010 presidential elections.

“I will go onstage with Poe but never with Escudero,” Estrada told reporters.

The former president turned Manila mayor also ran for the country’s highest post in 2010 with then Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay as his running mate.

According to Diego Cagahastian—the city government’s public information officer and longtime Estrada ally—Estrada initially wanted to get Escudero as his running mate in 2010. However, Escudero had other ideas, saying he should be the one to run for president with Estrada as his running mate. He later dropped his plans to seek the presidency.

On Friday, Escudero said he was very proud and honored to endorse Domagoso for the Senate.

“I violated my grandfather’s rule never to sit onstage with anyone more handsome than me,” Escudero told the audience, drawing laughter from them. “This is the start of his journey to the Senate,” he said of the vice mayor.

Domagoso later filed his certificate his candidacy (COC) at the Comelec office in Intramuros, Manila, under Estrada’s Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino party.

He thanked supporters who told him that they wanted him to run for Manila mayor, saying he was in for a much bigger fight.

When Domagoso ran alongside Estrada in 2013, the latter promised him that he would support him for mayor in 2016, saying he was not interested in seeking reelection, only to change his mind.

When Estrada filed his COC for Manila mayor on Wednesday, he again promised Domagoso that he would be the next mayor in 2019 as he praised him for his achievements as vice mayor.

“Sometimes, we need to take a detour before we can reach our dreams,” Domagoso told reporters on Friday.

“Let’s forget the past. What is important is that we are moving forward now. I have a bigger challenge to face this time. I need to prove that a ‘Tondo kid’ can serve the country on a national level. I hope people will consider me and my capabilities,” he added.