Photography by Kaycee Valmonte. Text by Franco Luna, as published on Philstar.com on May 7, 2022.
The 90-day presidential campaign of Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno ended Saturday afternoon right where it started: in his bailiwick in the capital city to throngs of loyal supporters he served as mayor.
The Aksyon Demokratiko standard-bearer's miting de avance in Manila is a culmination of Moreno's relentless touring schedule in which he sought out the support of what he said was "the silent majority" despite staying at third place for most of the campaign.
Moreno spoke to supporters in Tondo to pay tribute to his humble upbringing as a garbage collector in the city he now leads. It wasn't unexpected: he also made his campaign announcement there, and eventually held his proclamation rally at the Kartilya ng Katipunan just a few blocks away.
"I still haven't left Tondo. My old apartment is still alive. Moriones Street has given us so much history here in Tondo," Moreno told supporters in Filipino as he recounted his roots to start his speech. "Thank you Tondo. If it weren't for you, I would not be where I stand today."
True to form, Moreno pulled out the same key themes he leaned on as he barnstormed towns and cities across the Philippines for the past three months: his proven track record as Manila mayor, and his positioning as an "alternative candidate" to end what he claims is decades of conflict between the "yellows and reds."
It’s a strategy that works among Manilenos. 58-year-old Cecilia Olano said that Moreno’s track record mattered to her more than anything else other candidates had to offer.
“This crowd is organic because we’ve all seen what he did for Manila. All the qualities we’re looking for are with him. We don’t have any other choices, it’s just him,” she told Philstar.com.
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