Aksyon Demokratiko standard bearer Isko Moreno Domagoso on Friday said he will continue to persevere and reach out to as many Filipinos as he can in as many places possible, even in supposed bailiwicks of his rivals, to get the most important endorsement of all – the endorsement of the ordinary people.
“Sabi ko nga sa inyo matigas man ang bulalo lalambot din yon. Today is February (25) we still have three months to go, kaya tayo magsisikap na dumiretso lagi sa tao, abutin natin ang kaya nating abutin kahit sa mga suluk-sulukan.”
“As you can see, ang pinasok natin yung inner Cavite kung saan nanduon talaga yung community, nandudoon yung mga tao,” the 47-year-old presidential candidate said while barnstorming Cavite province where Team Isko is on a two-day sortie.
“So, we wanted to be closer to the people. Again, we will continue to reach as many municipalities, cities here in Cavite in due time, and we will continue to reach as many provinces and regions in the entire country. Walang tulugan!” said Moreno.
The Manila city mayor made the statements when asked of his efforts to try and gain support in vote-rich Cavite after Governor Jonvic Remulla claimed the province is supposedly solid behind Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Cavite has around 2.3 million voters, the second most vote-rich province in the Philippines after Cebu, which has an estimated 3.2 million voters. Interestingly, the province is also home to another presidential aspirant in Senator Panfilo Lacson who hails from Imus.
Be that as it may, Moreno takes heart in the warm and enthusiastic welcome he gets from the thousands of Caviteňos who showed up to cheer and show their support wherever the Team Isko motorcade went.
Moreno also said that Remulla’s claims, or any claims made by his rivals’ supporters for that matter, will not deter him and Team Isko because every Filipino has the right to choose freely who they will vote for.
“They are entitled to their opinion, and this is a democracy. May kanya-kanya tayong karapatan na mag-assess at mag-endorso. Yung boto ng nag-eendorso, yung boto ng pinag-endorsohan, parehas lang ang bilang,” he pointed out.
“Basta ang importante sa akin, kailangan natin ng endorso ng iba’t ibang tao. Pero ang pinakamahalaga sa akin ay yung endorso ng ordinaryong Pilipino. Kami basta diretso sa tao. We will try to reach them as many as possible, as soon as possible,” said Moreno.
If elected president, Moreno vowed to address the perennial problems of poverty, hunger, unemployment, inequality and social injustice in the country by focusing on providing the minimum basic needs of the people – housing, education, health care and jobs – through the efficient and prudent management of government resources. These form the main pillars of his 10-Point Bilis Kilos Economic Agenda.
To achieve this, the Moreno administration will continue the Build, Build Build program of President Rodrigo Duterte, with focus on building more public housing, more public schools, and more public hospitals across the country to create more jobs and opportunities for our people.
To further alleviate the plight of the masses and protect industries, he will work closely with Congress to reduce the taxes on two of most basic of commodities – petroleum and electricity.
He also vowed to revive and support the MSME sector through various government interventions, as well as promote a culture of sustainable tourism by developing tourism highways and tourism circuits among others.
To further hasten human and economic growth, Moreno also vowed to strengthen physical, economic and digital linkages among growth centers and the rural economies.
The Aksyon Demokratiko presidential bet also vowed that his administration will build a national fiber optic backbone to boost the country’s communication capability, and connect all schools, government offices and industries that rely heavily on internet connectivity.
Moreno’s accelerated infrastructure program also prioritizes building more power plants, both conventional and renewable, to ensure a stable and affordable supply of electricity to grow the economy and attract foreign investments.
To oversee this all is an open, transparent, inclusive and streamlined bureaucracy helmed by the “best, brightest and most experienced patriotic Filipinos.”
And like what he did in Manila, Moreno’s Bilis Kilos agenda also calls for smart governance, which promotes citizen participation and rapid delivery of services through automation and digitalization of government processes; and promotes transparency by making public data accessible to all in a format that is user-friendly, digestible, open, free and downloadable.