Manila Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso on Friday, Oct. 8, questioned one of Vice President Leni Robredo's major reasons for running for president in the 2022 elections, which was to make sure that a repeat of the atrocities experienced during the regime of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos is not repeated after his son Bongbong filed his certificate of candidacy to become the country's next president.
"Yan lang ba ang dahilan kung bakit siya tatakbo? Paano naman kaming mga Pilipino, wala kaming trabaho? Maraming Pilipino nagdidildil ng asin. Maraming Pilipino hindi malaman ano ang naghihintay sa kaniya sa kinabukasan (Is that the only reason why she will run? What about us Filipinos, we don't have a job? Many Filipinos are starving. Many Filipinos don't know what's waiting for them in the future),” Domagoso said during a press conference.
“Marcos na naman? Bakit kailangan uminog ang mundo namin ngayon sa away ng Marcos at Aquino? Sa away ng anak ni Marcos, at mga anak at kasama ng yellowtards? Ay pink na pala sorry (Marcos again? Why does our world have to evolve between the fight of Marcos and Aquino? In the fight of Marcos' son, and children, and with the yellowtards? It's pink now, sorry),” he added.
The local chief executive also commented on the hashtag #WithdrawIsko that trended on Twitter after Robredo announced her presidential bid on Thursday, Oct. 7.
"Matanong ko lang, karapatan ko rin naman tumakbo diba? Akala ko ba, nagra-rally sila ng demokrasya? Bakit 'yung demokrasya ba, sila lang ang may-ari? O yung demokrasya, pinapractice ng isang daang milyon mahigit na Pilipino (Can I ask if I have the right to run? I thought they are rallying for democracy? Do they also own the democracy? or the democracy which was practiced by millions of Filipinos)," Domagoso said.
Twitter users on Thursday, Oct. 7, asked Domagoso to run for vice president instead of running for president in May 2022 elections.
Aksyon Demokratiko chair Ernest Ramel also clarified on Friday that Domagoso will not withdraw from the presidential race. (With a report from Lemuel Baruela)
READ MORE: #WithdrawIsko trends on Twitter: Netizens ask Mayor Isko to run for VP instead