BY DORIS JIMENEZ
Armed with a solid track record as a government official and a relatable backstory as a person, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno promises to lead a government that works for the people and not the other way around.
I am voting for Isko Moreno Domagoso because ‘I am Isko.’ I wasn’t born rich. I grew up in a lower middle-class family, in a government housing community in Laguna. Like Moreno, my parents are from different regions of the country who tried their luck in Manila. My mother was a government employee until she retired. My father left the country in the hopes of finding a better-paying job in the US after the 1986 EDSA revolution. Like many lower middle-class families, post-martial law, my family struggled to make both ends meet.
What resonates with me the most in Moreno’s candidacy is the promise of finally having a government that works for me and for you — a government that works for the ordinary Filipino.
Why Isko?
From where I stand, I see in him a deep understanding when it comes to the real plight of the Filipino. I have also witnessed how fast and efficient he was in turning around the City of Manila under his leadership. The mayor has shown us that with conviction and vision, one can enact changes. He has shown us how it feels to have a government that is working for you and not the other way around. That, for me, is one of the most important things I look for in a candidate, more so in electing “the” president.
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For me, Isko Moreno is a leader who can work past political bickering and put service and results first — just as he did in the City of Manila.
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I’ve had enough of politicians who pronounce clean governance, yet end up being part of a government that somehow manages to make life difficult for its citizens. I’ve had enough of politicians promising to rid the government of corruption but could not even deliver on the minimum and most basic needs of its citizenry. Most of all, I’ve had enough of politicians who run for office without any idea of how it could make the system work for its constituents.
It’s clear as day. We have to elect officials who can make government bureaucracy work efficiently, for the benefit of everyone.
Dignity in living
What sets apart Isko from his peers in the race is his desire to bring back dignity to Filipinos. This, he showed us when he cleaned up Divisoria 48 hours after he assumed office as mayor in 2019. By ridding Divisoria of its previous ills, he, almost immediately showed residents and workers in Manila that discipline is, indeed, a key ingredient in effecting change. He also clearly shows the same, consistent attitude in his continuous and conscientious “housekeeping” of the city. And why? Because no one deserves to live in a city that reeks of trash and human waste.
The mayor did not stop there, either. He also lit up the sidewalks and streets of Manila and upped the ante with his urban housing development projects. He has redeveloped the city’s parks, encouraging Manileños to reclaim these once forsaken public spaces to exercise, take leisurely walks and ultimately enjoy the city outside of their homes. This shows how hard he works to ensure that his constituents, rich or poor, would lead a dignified life.
Simple these changes may be, but they’re most certainly high impact.
A government with foresight
As a Filipino, I also want a government that will be swift in dispensing services that are necessary to the people. I have seen this swift action in Isko and his staff, who wasted no time in trying to abate the pandemic.
During the surge of COVID-19 cases, it was Manila that had a supply of much-needed, hard-to-find medicines like Remdesivir and Toscilizumab. After a number of friends and their loved ones were infected severely, I personally sought help from the mayor’s staff in procuring these medicines. Their response was swift.
At one point, Isko himself got infected. Still, he was leading the city’s affairs from his hospital bed, even if he himself was down with COVID. This continued even during the Omicron surge where many more people needed Molnupiravir.
It’s unimaginable how his foresight to buy and stock up on medicines was able to save a lot of people’s lives. The kind of care and importance he accords his constituents is extraordinary. I’d like to believe this comes from his deep understanding of how it is to have nothing and literally eat other people’s leftovers.
I am voting for Isko because I see sincerity in his desire to serve. The man is neither an angel nor a saint. He has had his fair share of mistakes. What is admirable, however, is how he has owned up to them and has learned his lessons well.
He listens and learns
The man listens and is so eager to learn. In a world where everyone is an expert, Isko is one who is unashamed to say he doesn’t know everything or he’s wrong. I also haven’t heard, or seen any other candidate profess his faith as consistently as Isko does— both in words and in practice.
The mayor is a man of his word and His words. More importantly, he is a man who takes his words to action.
I will also vote for Isko because I am tired of listening to promises unmet and a toxic political climate that does nothing but negate the other. As he once told me: “Grudges and hate are excess baggage; they slow you down and stunt your growth.”
I also believe in his vigor and youth. Enough of the old politics and traditional politicos, they’re the one who brought us where we are now.
For me, Isko Moreno is a leader who can work past political bickering and put service and results first—just as he did in the City of Manila.
