"Wag kayong magkakamali."

Presidential candidate and Manila mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso on Monday, Feb. 28, made the statement as he emphasized the importance of the presence of a leader, especially during a crisis.

"Hindi pupwede na ang presidente laging wala. Real talk tayo ha. Hindi pwedeng ang presidente laging absent. Hindi pupwede na ‘yung presidente dahil magaling ‘yung lahi, e magaling na din siya. (The president cannot always be absent. Just real talk. Just because he comes from a good clan does not mean that he's good too),” Domagoso said during the endorsement of the Bus Transport Workers Alliance, Alliance of Genuine Labor Organizations, and National Confederation of Labor for his candidacy.

"Hindi pwede na ‘yung presidente na hindi niyo nasubukan sa panahon ng hamon sa atin. ‘Yung hindi niyo nakasama sa oras ng kagipitan (You should not have a president that you'd not tried during challenging times, the one who was not with you during crisis)," he added.

Domagoso also praised Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky for standing up for his country amid the tensions with Russia.

“Why am I saying those? Dahil ba sa pandemya lang? Tignan niyo ‘yung presidente ng Ukraine, nasaan? Nasa kalsada. Anytime pwedeng tamaan ng bomba (Is it just because of the pandemic? Look at the president of Ukraine, where is he? On the streets where bombs can hit him anytime),” he said.

“Sino ang nakita niyong leader na laging nasa kalsada bente kwatro oras, araw gabi nakakasama ng tao. Ang gusto ba nating leader ‘yung magaling lang sa kwento pero walang kwenta? (Who is the leader you see on the road 24 hours, day and night, mingling with people. Do you like a leader who speaks well but is worthless? ),” he added.

The Manila mayor, however, clarified he was not particularly pertaining to anyone.

“Basta wala tayong pinapangalanan. Anong uri ng lider ang gusto niyong makasama sa oras ng hamon sa buhay, may pandemya, may gyera, hindi natin alam kung hanggang kailan ‘yan, hindi natin alam kung darating ba satin ‘yan (I’m not naming anyone. What kind of a leader do you want to be with amid the challenges of life, in time of pandemic, in time of war, we don't know how long will it last, we don't know if that will come to us),” he said.

“Kung ngayon palang hindi niyo na nakikita ‘yung posible maging lider, eh umasa pa kayo sa oras na ng aberya (If you can’t see the presence of your possible leader at this time, then don't expect them in times of trouble),”

Domagoso also underscored earlier the importance of debates because the Filipino people deserve to hear the objectives of those who are seeking positions in government.

“Kayo po ngayon ang HR department, kami po ay aplikante sa trabaho. Gusto mo naman bang mag-hire ng isang empleyado na hindi mo nakausap, hindi mo nakita? (You are now the HR department, we are job applicants. Do you want to hire an employee that you haven't talked to or haven't seen?),” he said during the CNN Philippines Presidential Debate on Sunday, Feb. 27.

All the presidential bets, except for former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., were present in the debate.