Isko Moreno calls for performance-based campaign in Manila mayoral race
MANILA, Philippines – City of Manila mayoral candidate Isko Moreno Domagoso is calling for a campaign that prioritizes accomplishments and concrete plans over political attacks, arguing that voters deserve to hear what candidates can deliver.
“Let’s not waste the time people have given us to be heard. Let’s use it as an opportunity to tell them what we plan to do (Huwag nating sayangin ang oras ng tao na binigay sa atin para tayo ay mapakinggan. Gamitin natin ‘yon as an opportunity to tell ano ang gagawin mo),” he stressed.
In an interview following his appearance before thousands of supporters at the Kaagapay convention at Quirino Grandstand, Domagoso called for a more meaningful electoral discourse.
The former mayor lamented the increasing negativity in Manila’s political scene, something he claimed was not as rampant in previous elections.
Article continues after this advertisement“I’m really surprised because that didn’t happen in Manila before—the mudslinging. It’s too much. If Chichi [Atienza] and I had walls for faces, they would probably be covered in mud by now (Nagugulat nga ako ngayon, dati hindi naman nangyayari sa Maynila ‘yon, ‘yung mudslinging. Sobra. Grabe. Kung pader lang ‘yung mukha namin ni Chichi, malamang kulay putik na ‘yung pader),” he added.
Article continues after this advertisementDespite this, he remains committed to a campaign focused on results, urging fellow candidates—especially those seeking reelection—to let their work do the talking.
“And if you’re a reelectionist, I say, just report to the people what you’ve done. Let’s not preempt their decision. Just lay out what you plan to do for our city, for your district, and let the people decide in the end (At kung ikaw naman ay reelectionist, sabi ko, kung ano ang ginawa mo. Mag-ulat ka na lang sa taumbayan. Huwag nating pangunahan ang magiging desisyon ng taumbayan. Basta tayo, maglahad ng mga ninanais mong gagawin para sa ating lungsod, para sa iyong distrito, tapos hayaan natin ang taumbayan ang magdesisyon kalaunan),” he further said.
For Isko, politics should be about public service, not personal attacks.
He believes that every candidate given the platform to address voters has a responsibility to use that opportunity respectfully—by presenting real solutions rather than engaging in negativity.
This belief is deeply personal for him, shaped by his own improbable rise from poverty to public office.
Having grown up in Manila’s slums, scavenging for food to survive, Domagoso sees his political career as nothing short of a blessing.
The fact that he now has the chance to serve the same city where he once struggled fuels his commitment to a campaign based on substance rather than spectacle.
“I have nothing more to ask from God. If you knew where I came from—imagine, literally from the garbage. Yet here I am, given the chance to serve our people in the very same community where I grew up. What are the chances? I am truly grateful for the simple things and everyday situations (Wala naman na akong hihingin pa sa Panginoong Diyos na mga bagay-bagay. Kung alam ninyo kung saan ako nanggaling. Biruin mo, literal sa basurahan).
