MANILA 5th District Rep. Amado Bagatsing formally launched his campaign to be the city’s next mayor Wednesday night, holding his proclamation rally two days after his two closest rivals, the incumbent Joseph Estrada and former mayor Alfredo Lim, staged their own show of force.
Bagatsing, who’s offering himself as someone who can literally “clean up” up Manila, gathered around 3,000 supporters who came in his campaign colors yellow and green for the program on Dagohoy Street, San Andres.
He already held smaller rallies outside his turf—in the first, second and sixth districts—on Easter Sunday. “We are taking the longer route by going directly to our constituents and introducing our respective candidates to each district,’’ he told the Inquirer. “This is what differentiates me from Lim and Estrada, who had to gather all their supporters in one place.”
Told that his proclamation rally on Wednesday appeared to have drawn a smaller audience compared to those of Estrada and Lim, Bagatsing dismissed those two other gatherings as “just for show.”
He stressed that he hit the campaign trail as early as Easter Sunday because the timing was part of “the message I wanted to send: That Manila will be resurrected (if I’m elected mayor).”
“I will engage all the barangays, business establishments, and nongovernment organizations to clean up Manila’s streets. We’ll make it fun and something that can be regularly measured so it becomes a habit.”
Also at Wednesday’s rally were Bagatsing’s vice mayoral candidate Ali Atienza and his city council ticket composed of Edward Ramirez, Harry Huecas, Irwin Tieng, Eric Valbuena, Francis Villegas and Jose Abrito.
They call themselves the Kabaka (Kabalikat ng Bayan sa Kaunlaran) Party, except for Atienza who is a member of the oppositionist United Nationalist Alliance.
Bagatsing’s daughter and Kabaka Youth chair Cristal is running for the House seat to be vacated by her father. His nephew Don Juan Bagatsing is currently a city councilor who is running for congressman of Manila’s 4th district.