Isko Moreno: The Man with the Plan

The city of Manila has lost its competitiveness and is drowning in its own poverty. This is why the next mayoral elections is critical to its very survival.

Running for Mayor are 90year-old Alfredo Lim who served as Mayor from 1992 to 1995 and again from 2007 to 2010; 87-yearold Joseph Estrada who has been the incumbent since 2013; and 47year -old Isko Moreno who served as city councilor for three terms and Vice Mayor also for three terms until 2016.

We all have a stake in this mayoral race as Manila is the capital of the nation and its face to the world.

MANILA TODAY

The nation’s capital had everything going for it. It is home to the most number of universities in the land and therefore should, in theory, be a bastion of knowledge and innovation. It is the site of the country’s first central business district, Binondo, the country’s principal seaport, the Banco Sentral and the Department of Finance. All these should make it the country’s center for finance and trade. It hosts the most number of historical and cultural sites including Intramuros, the CCP complex and the national museum. Again, in theory, it should be ground zero for culture, tourism and entertainment. Lamentably, Manila is none of these.

Due to wanton mismanagement, Manila has spiraled down to new depths of poverty, urban decay, blight and squalor. It is a shadow of its former self, the Pearl of the Orient. It is widely regarded as a massive failure in urban planning and governance.

In the last two decades, neighboring cities like Makati, Taguig, Parañaque and Quezon City have all risen to become modern business hubs. They did this by developing swaths of their territories into modern CBDs like BGC, Vertis North and the ASEANA City. These CBDs have attracted multibillion-dollar enterprises which in turn, boosted each city’s tax base. Manila, on the other hand, was left to rot. Due to the lack of investment in infrastructure and the inefficient delivery of basic services, Manila’s caché of business establishments has plummeted from 60,000 in the year 2000 to some 40,000 today.

Progressive cities like Makati and Taguig are already thinking of ways to facilitate hyper-connectivity, disaster resilience and pedestrianism. The city of Manila still grapples with trash collection, a manual tax collection system and a low tax collection rate of only +/- 79%. Development-wise, Manila is 30 years behind.

Mayor Lim had his chance to reform the city but unfortunately, squandered it. Evidently, the former policeman possesses very little talent outside the realm of peace and order. It will be recalled that he was responsible for padlocking the red light district of Manila (which he thought was a good idea), only for it to mushroom in random places where it is more difficult to manage. It was a mistake.

He repressed the development of the bohemian district of Malate and was the approving Mayor of Torre de Manila, the eyesore that mars the background of Jose Rizal’s monument. By the time Lim’s term in office ended in 2013, insiders revealed that he left P800 million worth of past obligations and nearly empty coffers.

The city’s poor financial health was what prompted Mayor ERAP to raise taxes by 300% in 2013. With the windfall of cash, ERAP was able to pay for the P800 million in overdue obligations. However, he failed to invest in meaningful infrastructure and modernize the city’s management systems.

The problem with ERAP is the absence of management. ERAP is too old that his busted knee, broken hip and jaw problems prevent him from reporting for work as often as he needs to. He is an absentee Mayor who has relegated the daily management of the city to men who have neither the vision nor capability to do even a mediocre job of it.

Mayors Estrada and Alfredo Lim have had their chance to do good by Manila but made a royal mess of it. Proof positive is the sorry state of the city today. As Filipinos, we should hold them accountable and never forget the damage they have wrought on our capital city.

For them to seek another term as Mayor reeks of shamelessness and entitlement. Suffice to say that to vote for them again is akin to eating one’s own puke.

ISKO MORENO

Let me be direct about this. I support Isko Moreno not only for having the advantage of youth but also for coming to the table with a vision and a working plan. This is a basic requirement for any aspiring chief executive.

Isko is not pedigreed. As a former garbage collector, pedicab man and later on, actor, he is often dismissed by intellectuals as an opportunist who took advantage of his popularity to get into politics. I thought the same — at least until I engaged him in hours of conversation