Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) on Tuesday, October 8, aiming to return as mayor of the city in the 2025 elections.
“Hindi namin siya bibitawan (We will never let go of him),” declared some of the supporters of Domagoso as he filed his COC at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in SM Manila, together with his running mate Chi Atienza, the daughter of former Manila Mayor Lito Atienza.
Photos by Richielyn Canlas
Before the filing of COC, several of his supporters, including senior citizens, joined him at Arroceros Forest Park, where they brought placards with slogans “Babalik na siya (He's coming back),” “Yorme, ISKOming back! Make Manila great again,” “Batang Tondo para sa Batang Maynila (A Child of Tondo for the Children of Manila)”.
Domagoso said in an interview that Manileños' call motivated him to run again as he addressed some issues about senior citizens.
“Unang-una, 'yung mga lolo't-lola ko, this is the first time in the history of Manila na nagkaroon ng allowance for senior citizens. Noong panahon namin, botante o hindi, may sakit o wala, makukuha pa rin nila retroactive [allowance]. One of the complaints ng senior citizens is pino-forfeit kapag hindi nakuha ang allowance. Ipinagdamdam talaga ito ng mga lolo't-lola namin, ng mga nanay at tatay namin (For the first time in the history of Manila, senior citizens were granted an allowance. During our administration, whether they were registered voters or not, sick or healthy, they still received their retroactive allowance. One of the main complaints from senior citizens is that their allowance is forfeited if unclaimed. This deeply upset our senior citizens)," Domagoso explained.
“We will let the people decide itong 2025. Hahayaan namin ang mga batang Maynila lalong-lalo na 'yung mga lolo't-lola namin dito sa lungsod na makapamili nang malaya nitong darating na halalan (We will allow the Manileños, especially our senior citizens here in the city, to freely choose their bets in the upcoming election),” he added.
Domagoso, meanwhile, said he was surprised over the claim of incumbent Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan that she felt betrayed.
“Nagulat nga ako. Hindi ko akalain na ganoon ang magiging reaksyon, but hayaan n’yo na lang yung ate Honey ko (I was really surprised. I didn’t expect that kind of reaction, but let’s just leave it with my ate Honey),” he said.
Meanwhile, some of Domagoso's supporters said in an interview that they will stand with him as he did not leave them, especially during the pandemic.
“Matagal nang subok na. Noong pandemic, ang mga taga-Manila hindi niya iniwan. Hindi talaga siya nagpabaya kaya ganoon na lang namin kamahal si Yorme na sana bumalik na talaga siya para ang taga-Manila ay buhay na naman (We have long proven his leadership. During the pandemic, he never abandoned the people of Manila. He truly took care of us, which is why we love him so much. We hope he returns so that the people of Manila can thrive again),” a resident of Manila, Evelyn, said.
Nancy, a councilor of Barangay 69, also said that they support Domagoso.
“Ever since na tumakbo siya, talagang supporter niya ako. Napakabait niya at nakita ko 'yung mga ginawa niya sa Maynila, kaya talagang saludo ako (Ever since he ran for office, I have been a true supporter of his. He is very kind, and I have seen all the things he has done for Manila, which is why I truly admire him),” she said.
“Lalo na noong pandemic, hindi kami binitawan ni Yorme, hindi kami pinabayaan sa Maynila, kaya hinding-hindi namin siya bibitawan (Especially during the pandemic, Yorme never abandoned us; he took care of us in Manila, which is why we will never let him go),” another resident, Prescila, said.
Domagoso will be challenging incumbent Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan and public servant and TV host Sam Verzosa.
Related stories:
https://mb.com.ph/2024/10/3/ex-mayor-isko-to-mayor-honey-peace-be-with-you-1