More than 200,000 concurrent viewers tuned in to Moreno’s interview on YouTube, which gave voters insights on his plans should he win the presidency.
It’s no more a mystery that showbiz popularity can be a golden ticket for anybody eyeing the seat at the Malacañang. We’ve got the rise of seasoned actors, action stars mostly, in the past, who anchored their campaign on the fame bestowed to them by their history with showbiz. Now with Manila Mayor Isko Moreno seemingly relying on this formula to pull off his bid in the 2002 national polls, will the formula work again?
The presidential aspirant took the hot seat on ABS-CBN’s The 2022 Presidential One-On-One Interviews, last night, to deliver his stance on several national and personal issues. The contender answered the very same questions that seasoned host, Boy Abunda, asked the first three on the hot seat—Robredo, Marcos, Lacson.
On environment and mining.
Moreno will allow Duterte’s decision to lift the ban on new mining deals, should he get elected as the president. “Isa sa pinakamagandang asset ng bansa ay iyong mga minerals”, he said, but also stressed on the importance of responsible mining. E believed that by allowing mining, the country can generate more foreign direct investments (FDI), and thus generate more income.
“Kailangang kumita, pero we need to be responsible” he argued, noting that there are still rules that must be complied with, to pull off sustainable and responsible mining. When asked if he would accept mining money as a donation he stated
“Why not? As long as it’s from responsible miners. ‘What we need Is to create jobs. We need to be aggressive and practical, but we also need to be responsible,” he added.
On COVID-19 response.
When asked what his government will do should he assume the presidency and the pandemic still prevails, “I’ll treat it as endemic” he answered, although he sounded unsure what the difference between pandemic and endemic is, which Abunda repearedly asked him about.
“We have to strengthen our vaccination..we must continue to believe in medicines.; we have to be ready” he proposed, noting the need to be always ahead of the projections.
Moreno related his plans with what he claimed he already did in his city, Manila, promising he’ll mimic the same success on the national level. He also proposed building our facilities to create our agencies and medical facilities, to confront our shortages in vaccines and medicines.
On joblessness and hunger.
“I will continue the build build build project”, Moreno vowed when asked what his plans are in confronting unemployment and starvation in the country.
He proposed to strengthen measures in strengthening housing, education, and healthcare programs in the country, arguing he already succeeded in doing it in Manila.
Moreno believes that homelessness is a social perennial problem, and thus he believes that housing is something government should focus on, believing it’s closely linked to rising cases of joblessness. When asked to comment on anti-poor campaigns by past presidents, he said “Wala akong slogan” arguing he doesn’t indulge in poverty porn, although we can vividly remember how he’s been relying on his ‘galing ako sa mahirap’ narrative to fuel his campaign.
On OFWs and migrant workers.
Moreno again brought back his intent to create more foreign direct investments in the country.
“The same peso I’m going to spend in Manila is the same peso I will spend in the far-flung areas… ” he promised, pushing for his equality campaign, in terms of generating growth in all parts of the country.
The Manila Mayor believes that equal opportunities must be created for all geopolitical segments of the population, suggesting that inequality is partly to blame for Filipinos leaving our shores to work overseas.
Moreno isn’t sure if creating a separate department for migrant workers, is necessary. He instead proposed that bureaucratic problems must be solved first. “There is too much bureaucracy and redundancy in rules,” he said that there are so many laws, that should be clarified first.
On cyber pornography and social media.
Abunda recalled the confession of American pop star, Billie Eilish, who recently exposed her porn addiction, which she claimed has destroyed her life, values, and morals. The question is linked to the recent statistics released by adult streaming site, PornHub, which listed the Philippines as its top streaming country, based on minutes spent on the site. Moreno was asked to relate his parenting styles to the policies his government will adopt, if, theoretically, he found out that one of his children, was having the same problem as Eilish.
“As a parent, always talk to children…be reasonable to them” he responded, noting that it’s the parents’ job to explain to their children the gravity of their actions. He also proposes going after social media companies, and vows to “…make them responsible. All those accounts must be removed, and I’ll block their IP address” and he plans to make the Department of Information and Communications Technology.
On abortion and rape.
Moreno is firm in his belief that “Life is life”, that’s why he is not in favor of allowing legal abortion. He emphasized his commitment to equality, arguing that all known life must receive the same favors.
“Same that I apply with criminals…equal opportunity, equal chance,” he said
That said, he stressed that he is pro-choice, “In terms of…kung anong accessible na puwedeng ibigay ng estado para sa family planning. When there is life is already, nobody should take it away, kasi ipinagkaloob ng Diyos iyon.”
The disconnect with his anti-abortion stance is so easy to notice in this statement.
On drug war.
The Manila Mayor believes that the Philippines isn’t a narco state, yet.
That said, he recognizes the rampant presence of drugs, and that “..it destroys lives, communities, and countries”. He also believed that Duterte’s efforts have alleviated the country’s problems with drugs.
He then again related his experiences as Mayors to the question and said” Noong nag-mayor ako meron lang ako isang rule: zero tolerance, non-negotiable,” arguing that drugs is drugs.
He also commended Duterte for eliminating the manufacture of drugs in the country, but also noted the rise of smuggled illegal drugs in the country.
“There must be something wrong with our borders… ports,” he said.
He said he would like to continue the drug war, but he promised to not single out small-time dealers. ;Papanagutin kita” he warned drug lords.
On paying the national debt.
“We must pay, it’s an obligation. There is no shame if the state will borrow money. It’s part of stimulating a hurting economy,” Moreno responded to Abunda’s question about what his government will do to pay our national debt.
To do it, he proposed of disposing of the country’s non-performing assets, which he believes will “…offset whatever debt servicing we can do”
“We need to encourage FDI. For us to be competitive, we need to cut some corners, in terms of loss, to generate and attract. Kailangan natin ibalik ang suigla ng pamumunahan sa bansa ng mga banyaga,” he said, proposing that taxes must be lowered in certain industries for the country to be more competitive.
On the West Philippine Sea dispute.
Moreno does not believe that the Philippines can afford to wage a military war with China, to protect the country’s territories in West Philippine Sea. That being said, he also believes “…in a civilized world and time, we are guided by law and order” reminding our participation in international organizations such as the United Nations, and the United Nations on the Laws of the Seas (UNCLOS).
He also believes that the country’s National Defense Chief must hail from Philippine Navy, arguing that we are an archipelagic country.”
“ I’ll try to be sensible with China” he promised, but also vowed to “…be fearless in dealing with West Philippine Sea. We will be fair in terms of trade with other countries including China. We must coexist ij economic relationship but we gonna be loyal to the Filipinos”. The presidential aspirant proposed to leverage our partnership with militarily-strong nations to help us defend our territories.
On presidential qualifications.
While Moreno believes that there are several provisions in the 1987 Constitution, hr agrees that no modification to the mandated presidential qualifications is necessary. “…these are the things na hindi naman kailangang masyadong kailangang pansinin. In the end of the day’ it’s the people who should choose” he reasoned.
He instead proposes to go after educating the Filipinos to become “…mas mature sa pagsisiyasat ng kandidato”, arguing that political background and experience is necessary. “What have you done for you to deserve the vote of the public”? he asked. In the end, he added that he may consider inserting ‘political experience’ to the existing requirements on who can run as president.
On his political alliances and issues about loyalty.
Moreno clarified that never left ‘Asenso Manileño’, his original party, even though he has jumped from one political alliance to another, in the past three elections. He denied being a party-mate to Alftredo Lim and rap Estrada, and said that they were just alliances who invited him and his party to partner with him in their campaigns.
On why he should get the vote and not the other candidates.
Moreno’s answerto Abunda’s questions are largely anchored on who he thinks has vengeful motivations. He didn’t directly answer why voters should not vote Lacson or Pacquiao, saying “…mabait naman (sila). He argued that Robredo will only exact her revenge on the Marcoses, while Marcos, is only motivated by desire to avenge his family against the ‘dilawans’ and ‘pinklawans’.
On why it’s him whom the voters should vote for, he promised…”hindi ako maghihiganti ninuman”
On the Philippines’ withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Moreno welcomes the possibility of allowing the ICC to conduct its investigations about Duterte’s Drug War. It can be recalled that the country withdrew its membership from the tribunal, when the court announced its intent to begin its probe on the alleged ‘crimes against humanity by the Duterte government, in the wake of its vicious anti-drug campaign.
“Wala naman tayong tinatago. Our justice system continues to work, gumagana” he said, noting that our reputation must be restored.
Overall, there is not much to say about this interview. Moreno was a bit more personal in confronting the questions, although I can’t help but notice how he resorted too much to his “nagawa ko sa Maynila” narrative, which became too ironic when we got to the point when Abunda asked him about Duterte’s war on drugs. Duterte also believed that he could do what he was able to accomplish in Davao, but ultimately failed. What is the assurance Isko won’t fail in the same way?
