Presidential candidate and Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso on Monday said he will vote for President Rodrigo Duterte for senator, and he is even willing to adopt the outgoing Chief Executive as the 4th senatorial candidate of his political party Aksyon Demokratiko.
“I will personally vote for President Duterte for senator. And I will be grateful, honored, and humbled to have somebody like the President in our slate as an additional candidate for senator. And I think he is very much capable of doing the job as a legislator,” Moreno said during an ambush interview in Lapu-Lapu City.
Moreno stressed that Duterte is now considered an “orphan” since the administration’s presidential candidate, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, has already announced his intention to withdraw from the 2022 race.
However, Go has yet to formally submit his withdrawal as presidential candidate of Pederalismo ng Dakilang Dakilang Samahan (PDDS) to the Commission on Elections national office in Intramuros, Manila.
“If before, I said I only had three senators so you only have nine problems, now I will say, you only have eight to think about because I have a fourth candidate, President Duterte,” Moreno said.
When asked by the media why he would want Duterte in his senatorial slate, Moreno explained that as president, Duterte had many accomplishments, foremost of which is the “Build, Build, Build” that saw not only many bridges and skyways built but most importantly, it generated thousands of jobs even during the pandemic.
Aksyon Demokratiko, headed by Moreno as party president, is the first political party to formally ask President Duterte to be an adopted senatorial candidate.
“I don’t want to lead the President. He is free to choose where he wants to go. But it is definitely an honor for me if the President will accept my invitation for him to be an adopted senatorial candidate of Aksyon Demokratiko,” Moreno explained.
Moreno noted that with the new Clark airport, the people of Manila will also benefit because they also built the Malolos-Tutuban train.
“And Southerners can reach Clark Airport because of the built skyways. The president has really done a lot,” the Manila City chief executive observed.
Moreno also praised President Duterte for initiating the three-day
National Vaccination Drive which enlisted the services of vaccinators from cities like Manila that have already exceeded the target of 70 percent of its population.
“Let’s give credit where credit is due. President Duterte has so many accomplishments. And I believe that he can be an effective senator since through legislation, he can ensure that his legacy will be institutionalized,” said Moreno.
Moreno, whose running mate is Dr. Willie Ong, had said he does not want to adopt senatorial candidates who are also guest candidates in the ticket of other presidential bets. He said he is only willing to adopt guest candidates under a single presidential candidate.
At present, Aksyon Demokratiko has three senatorial candidates: Samira Gutoc, a women’s rights advocate from Marawi City; Dr. Carl Balita, a registered nurse and midwife and an educator and Jopet Sison, a former Quezon City Councilor.
Moreno was in Lapulapu City as guest of honor during the flag raising ceremony at the City Hall. He was warmly welcomed City Hall officials and employees led by Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan, Vice Mayor Selci Sitoy, and members of the City Council.
Thousands of urban poor re-settlers also came to see Moreno whom they consider as one of them as they know he was also a former squatter, scavenger, and sidecar boy in Tondo, Manila.
After the flag ceremony and speeches by the two mayors, the program host egged the two local chief executives to do the Tik-Tok challenge and both Chan and Moreno gamely displayed their dancing skills in front of a cheering crowd.