Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso will run for president in the May 2022 national elections, Manila Public Information Office chief Julius Leonen confirmed to Manila Bulletin Tuesday night.
Domagoso will announce his decision in his stronghold in Baseco, Tondo on Wednesday, Sept. 22.
Cardiologist and social media personality Dr. Willie Ong will be his running mate, according to Leonen.
Domagaso was recently elected president of the Aksyon Demokratiko political party, which fueled speculations that he is gunning for the nation's highest post in next year’s elections.
The mayor is seen as a strong contender in the 2022 presidential race after he placed second in surveys about preferred presidential and vice presidential bets.
Aksyon Demokratiko was recognized as a political party in 1998 by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Last Sept. 11, a group in Pasig City urged Domagoso to run for president in the 2022 polls.
According to Elmer Argaño, secretary general of Ikaw Muna Pilipinas (IM Pilipinas), Rizalito Bunyi, chairman of Alyansa ng Pagkakaisa sa Pasig (ALPPA), and Cyril Manaog, a community organizer, coordinated with him for their possible alliance to promote Moreno’s presidential candidacy.
They said that they see the similarities in the leadership of Mayor Isko and their own city mayor, Vico Sotto, whom they supported in 2019.
“ISKOPasig, like IM Pilipinas, is deeply praying that Mayor Isko Moreno will run for president in the fast-approaching presidential elections, with the firm belief that he is the best option of the Filipino people from among the list of presidentiables. We believe Mayor Isko has the heart, the appropriate toolset and right mindset badly needed by our country, especially in the face of stiff uphill challenges brought about by the great social, moral and economic destruction caused by the pandemic," Argaño said in an interview with Manila Bulletin.
"Now is the time for the Philippines to have a president with global vision, sincere compassion for the poor and needy and one that is full of action, more than words, which Mayor Isko embodies,” he added.