With a few weeks before officially taking back his seat as Manila Mayor this June 30, Mayor-elect Francisco "Isko" Moreno Domogoso is making a comeback with his signature stunt of making the country's capital city great again. After his three-year hiatus since he lost in the 2022 Presidential Elections, he has been quite adamant, fuming in fact, in instilling discipline back in the ordinary workers in the streets of Manila. From clearing the sidewalks and markets to scouring filthy roads using fire trucks, the returning mayor is bent on bringing Manila back to the state he left it in during his first term.
During his term as Manila mayor, Isko Moreno launched major infrastructure and urban renewal projects aimed at revitalizing the city and preserving its heritage. He restored landmarks like Jones Bridge and renovated key public spaces such as the Lagusnilad Underpass. Moreno also prioritized environmental sustainability, expanding the Arroceros Urban Forest Park and preserving green spaces. His administration improved healthcare and housing through projects like the Bagong Ospital ng Maynila and in-city housing such as Tondominium and Binondominium. Additionally, he emphasized inclusivity and culture by redeveloping Manila Zoo, building a Muslim cemetery, and renovating the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.
This stellar performance has led me to write a column almost six years ago:
Change has come (Manila Version)
If I were a true-blue resident of the bustling capital city of Manila, I would gleam with pride. No more tangled lines of busy sidewalk (shall I say street vendors), no more feces in public parks, and no more “lagay” given to “Eddie” and “Patty.”
In a span of a few weeks after being sworn as the newly-elected mayor of Manila, Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domogaso is not wasting time in making a phenomenal start of his term. Making his signature image as a “Batang Maynila,” Mayor Isko has definitely won the hearts of many of his constituents, not to mention people from other provinces and cities like me. From afar, we can all say that change has come in Manila.
Even to a point of brushing aside several death threats coming his way, Mayor Isko is bent on restoring the peace and order situation in the busy streets in his hometown. For a start, he has been on a relentless duty of clearing Divisoria, Recto, Ylaya, Juan Luna , Soler, Carmen Planas ,Tabora, Asuncion, Villalobos, Carriedo,C. Palanca , Ronquillo, Raon and Evangelista, among others, of obstructions.
Mayor Isko is also keen on restoring the cleanliness and healthy environment in public parks, after he conducted an inspection at the Andres Bonifacio Shrine which he said is at least fifty human steps from the Mayor’s Office, and which he dubbed as the “biggest toilet” in the city. He led the flag-raising ceremony yesterday at the newly-refurbished park where he told the city hall employees, “Sa mahabang panahon, hindi niyo napakinabangan bilang mamayan ng lungsod ng Maynila (ang Bonifacio Shrine). Hindi na siya mapanghi, hindi na siya tae-tae island (For a long time, the people of Manila did not enjoy and benefit from this place. Today, this place is no longer filthy and teeming with human waste).”
Aside from this, Mayor Isko is also eager to restore and rehabilitate the Manila Zoo, which he claims is a “family-friendly” park. The said park, which has been ordered closed indefinitely by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in January, will be repackaged into an environment- and student-friendly tourist spot which will be managed by the local government unit and will not be sold, as ensured by the mayor.
All of these plans and actions, we can say signal quite a good start from the first–time mayor. But we are in high hopes that Manila has indeed found its long-lost Messiah in the person of the Batang Maynila himself, Isko. He said in every speech during his campaign; “Mga kababayan, walang magmamalasakit sa ating lahat na mga batang Maynila kundi tayo ring mga kapwa batang Maynila (Nobody will take care of the children of Manila but the children of Manila themselves).”
And how he embarrasses long-time politicians with this two-week performance. Other cities, such as our beloved San Fernando is following suit. It’s never too late to start, and it’s always a good thing to choose a leader who really knows his constituency by heart. For now, let us all bask in the optimism that this change in leadership brings to the one glorious city that badly needs a reprieve from the old woes of traditional politics and old-school graft and corruption.
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Whatever motivation he may have had when he decided to run for president in 2022, I honestly don't regret making my one vote count for him. Change is indeed back in Manila.