Presidential candidate and Manila Mayor Francisco”Isko Moreno” Domagoso has been calling Vice President Leni Robredo names because he was “hurt with the insinuations and lies” being spread against him, Aksyon Demokratiko Campaign Manager Lito Banayo said on Thursday, April 21.

On Wednesday, April 20, Domagoso called Robredo as “godmother of bully” and “BBS” or “Bilib na Bilib sa Sarili.”

“He was really hurt by all the insinuations, all the lies that have been spread against him, all the pressures that the echo chamber of the yellow-pink have done in this campaign," Banayo said in an interview with ANC Headstart.

"You have to situate yourself from the point of view of the guy. The guy has been through the school of hard knocks. He pulled himself by the bootstraps, from abject poverty," he said.

The campaign manager added Domagoso was just very candid about his feelings.

"What you see is what you get. He is not a hypocrite,” he said.

Banayo also said he has no plans on stopping Domagoso from assailing Robredo or other candidates.

"Niyurakan mo 'yung dignidad nung tao (you walked over his dignity) and I am not about to stop a guy when he does that, when he tells it as it is," he said.

“As a handler, it has never been my strong suit to temper my candidates. I never change them because people have to know them as they are," he said.

Banayo recalled a time when President Duterte cursed Pope Francis.

"Maraming mas nakakatakot na statements (There are a lot of statements we need to be more afraid of) but the people saw reality in him... The people saw that this is a candid person. I'm not saying na ginagaya ni Isko, but Isko is really like that," he said.

"Hindi mo dapat i-filter yung kandidato mo unless masyadong mali (You shouldn't filter your candidate unless he is really wrong) like if he says he's going to war with China, ibang usapan 'yun (that's another matter),” he said.

He also noted that the Manila mayor’s market is different compared to his rival candidates.

"Candor, frankness, being what you really are are more treasured by the Filipino electorate, especially the poor and marginalized than choosing your words before your audience," he said.

Banayo also stressed that only the "intellectual elite and the political analysts” are the ones who think that Domagoso is imploding since he started to call on Robredo to withdraw from the race.

In a joint press conference on Sunday, April 17, Domagoso had asked Robredo to "make the supreme sacrifice" and "withdraw" from the presidential race.