The interesting Mr. Moreno

The 2019 midterm elections brought in some fresh faces here in Metro Manila. Most notable are the three newbie Mayors: Vico Sotto of Pasig, Francis Zamora of San Juan, and Isko Moreno of Manila. Though the three Mayors are not newcomers in politics, and a lot has been written on how they have overthrown the previous political dynasties in their respective cities. However, out of the three, it is Mayor Isko that has been getting the media limelight.

Mayor Isko is the only one, out of the three, who can claim that he literally came from the streets. It goes without saying that Sotto and Zamora grew up within the affluent gated subdivisions in their cities. We all know the Sottos and their extreme celebrity status, also given that Sen. Tito Sotto is the putative Senate President; while, Zamora is the son of Rep. Ronnie Zamora of the super-rich Zamora-clan that is deep into the Philippine mining industry. Mayor Isko, on the other hand, was born, raised, and educated in Tondo, Manila.

Mayor Isko is on a roll. His first two weeks was like an action movie. He is saying and doing all the right things. Is this finally the Mayor that Filipinos finally got right? Critics from the Estrada side have been vocal that this is all just for publicity and that he clearly has no sympathy for the masses. But with how media has been portraying him, and considering all the positive feedback being received online, there are clearly no signs of Mayor Isko slowing down.

This is probably the first politician that is maximizing social media in a genuine and pure manner, meaning, there is no trace of usage of trolls and confrontational bloggers, unlike other traditional politicians. Last Sunday, Mayor Isko went around Manila and streamed it on Facebook Live using his own smartphone. In the lengthy video, Mayor Isko was seated in the back of a van that went around Manila to inspect on garbage, traffic, and other sites. In one scene, they passed by Port Area in Tondo. He pointed the island in the middle of the road where he used to play and at the school he graduated from.

In the previous week, before and after photos of Divisoria, Recto, Blumentritt, Quiapo Church, and other sites, flooded the Internet to show how fast the Mayor worked. Mayor Isko exposed the offer to pay him millions per day just to stop the demolition, though he refused to name who made the offer. He donned a hard hat and used a sledgehammer to smash confiscated goods, bolstering his image of an action star.

The other day, he walked out of City Hall, to the Bonifacio Shrine in Lawton, where he saw human feces scattered all over, and ended up stepping on poop. Earlier this week, he announced that politicians’ names must be removed from schools in Manila since the academe must be shielded from politics. He ordered jeepneys not to cut trips for the welfare of the everyday commuting public. A Chinese man who allegedly slapped a barangay official after being caught peeing in public was likewise ordered to be deported. Manila Zoo was inspected and Mayor Isko laid out his plans to make it a family-friendly park to be made possible through donations.

The question is whether he can sustain this? We shall see yet. One test — yesterday, Metrobank, Binondo Branch, was robbed by seven armed men and Mayor Isko immediately sent out an advisory for a P1 million award for any credible information to catch them. This news item will probably play on for days and we will be watching closely.

“Duterte-like” is how he is being described by some analysts. We shall see if the Mayor Duterte formula will work in a very politically entrenched city in the megalopolis. And the public should never count out Former President Erap Estrada, although he may have some fires to put out with the recent Commission on Audit report that states he left Manila with P141 Million in debt.

If this formula works, we can ask if the country is still in need of Federalism since now, we have an empowered local government official that is able to implement laws without need of additional government funds. This may be the benefit of proper use of social media, sans trolls and polarizing bloggers. Soon enough, the Philippines may continue its streak of electing the right politicians who are change agents in their respective jurisdictions.

“This is probably the first politician that is maximizing social media in a genuine and pure manner, meaning, there is no trace of usage of trolls and confrontational bloggers.

“Mayor Isko is the only one, out of the three, who can claim that he literally came from the streets.