Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, who is running for reelection, said on Thursday he was expecting an easy win in the May 9 polls, especially with his rivals forming “hasty alliances” in the last remaining campaign days.
At the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) “miting de avance” in Moriones, Tondo, Estrada described the recent decision made by his opponent, former Mayor Alfredo Lim, to abandon his running mate Rep. Benjamin Asilo in favor of another vice mayoral candidate, Councilor Ali Atienza, as “a desperate effort to bring him down.”
“They are panicking as indicated by the fact that they are changing alliances, which shows I am the stronger contender,” said Estrada.
It was Atienza’s father, Buhay Partylist Rep. Lito Atienza, who recently said his son would also be supporting Lim instead of his running mate, Rep. Amado Bagatsing. The younger Atienza, however, has not yet spoken about the issue.
Estrada said he expected to win by a bigger margin over his competition, particularly Lim, because of the projects he was able to implement in the past three years.
“I paid off all of the debts [Lim] left in the city,” he said.
He added he was looking forward to further developing Manila, with focus on peace and order or bringing down the city’s crime rate.
Estrada was joined in at the miting de avance by his vice mayoral candidate Honey Lacuña and all bets for the city council and the House of Representatives.
Special guests were Estrada’s goddaughter Sen. Grace Poe, whose bid for the presidency he is supporting; his vice presidential bet, Sen. Bongbong Marcos; and senatorial candidates former Valenzuela City Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian, Akbayan partylist Rep. Risa Hontiveros, former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chair Francis Tolentino, Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao, Sen. Serge Osmeña, Leyte first district Rep. Ferdinand Romualdez, former Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) director general Joel Villanueva, Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares and former senators Dick Gordon, Ping Lacson and Migz Zubiri. TVJ