Manila Mayor Isko Moreno ends 90-day presidential campaign in Tondo bailiwick
MANILA, Philippines (Updated 8:29 p.m.) — The 90-day presidential campaign of Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno ended Saturday afternoon right where it started: in his bailiwick in the capital city to throngs of loyal supporters he served as mayor.
The Aksyon Demokratiko standard-bearer's miting de avance in Manila is a culmination of Moreno's relentless touring schedule in which he sought out the support of what he said was "the silent majority" despite staying at third place for most of the campaign.
Moreno spoke to supporters in Tondo to pay tribute to his humble upbringing as a garbage collector in the city he now leads. It wasn't unexpected: he also made his campaign announcement there, and eventually held his proclamation rally at the Kartilya ng Katipunan just a few blocks away.
"I still haven't left Tondo. My old apartment is still alive. Moriones Street has given us so much history here in Tondo," Moreno told supporters in Filipino as he recounted his roots to start his speech. "Thank you Tondo. If it weren't for you, I would not be where I stand today."
True to form, Moreno pulled out the same key themes he leaned on as he barnstormed towns and cities across the Philippines for the past three months: his proven track record as Manila mayor, and his positioning as an "alternative candidate" to end what he claims is decades of conflict between the "yellows and reds."
It’s a strategy that works among Manilenos. 58-year-old Cecilia Olano said that Moreno’s track record mattered to her more than anything else other candidates had to offer.
“This crowd is organic because we’ve all seen what he did for Manila. All the qualities we’re looking for are with him. We don’t have any other choices, it’s just him,” she told Philstar.com.
“During the pandemic, he was the only candidate we saw taking care of us,” she added, pointing to his city hall’s ayuda and food packs.
Asked what she thought of surveys placing Moreno at the fourth spot to end his campaign, she said: “I don’t believe in those. I hope people wake up to the truth. They still have time to switch to Isko.”
In Manila, people echoed Moreno’s lines. “Other candidates make promises. He doesn’t make promises because he’s already done them,” one store owner who refused to be named said in Filipino. It’s the exact same way Moreno described himself at his proclamation rally here earlier on.
Attack vs fellow candidates
Miting de avances are usually the last time for a candidate to engage their base before the elections are held, but Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno spent most of his taking cheap shots at other candidates.
Where he could have driven home the promise behind his Bilis Kilos 10-Point Economic Agenda, the presidential hopeful railed against unnamed oppressors from Forbes Park and Ayala Avenue.
First swipe against Robredo from Moreno tonight as he talks about oppression from the elites "from Ayala Avenue." In response, crowd chants: "Isko naman!" Moreno still hasn't gone after Marcos in the same way tonight. @PhilstarNews pic.twitter.com/GiyYBGk2Kj
— Franco Luna (@francoIuna) May 7, 2022
Even the scheduling was a message: in an emboldened show of confidence, he held his miting de avance just as survey second-placer and fellow presidential hopeful Vice President Leni Robredo held hers kilometers away in Makati City.
Before Moreno was onstage, his campaign team's litany of performers, endorsers, and hosts parrotted his narratives for him. Hip hop artists had the crowd chant "two joints" and "God first," while rock bands yelled: "Hindi ako pula. Hindi ako dilaw. Ako ay Moreno."
Performers doubling down on the false narrative that two families and parties have dominated Philippine politics for decades. Crowd chants: "Hindi ako pula, hindi ako dilaw. Ako ay Moreno." @PhilstarNews pic.twitter.com/SqFQWCRyga
— Franco Luna (@francoIuna) May 7, 2022
With Robredo holding her own miting de avance just cities away, Moreno took the opportunity to take more digs at her. Videos played by the campaign team called her fanbase "sira ulo (crazy)" and called the Vice President herself "dilawan, baliw, and chismis."
Even after falling to fourth place in surveys, Moreno is still going after second-place VP Leni Robredo with not so subtle digs at her and her supporters. Calls her "baliw, dilawan, chismis," and her base "sira ulo" in contrast to him, the "basurero ng Tondo." @PhilstarNews pic.twitter.com/h2PxkVHzU1
— Franco Luna (@francoIuna) May 7, 2022
"It's saddening when the educated people look down on us, they treat us like we're not part of society, like they're the only ones with rights," he said, alluding to his criticisms of the Robredo campaign.
His campaign team also played videos of supporters of rival candidates fighting one another. He has repeatedly pushed the false claim that Philippine politics has been dominated by the same two families and parties for decades, claiming Filipinos will only continue to be divided if other candidates were to win the presidency.
On the other hand, the charismatic 47-year-old urged Filipinos to support him and his running mate in cardiologist Willie Ong if they wanted "peace of mind."
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