Francisco 'Isko' Moreno Domagoso: Where He Stands on Key Issues

This article is part of The Beat Asia’s coverage of the Philippines’ 2022 elections. To see the rest of our elections-related stories, click here.

The youngest of the top six presidential aspirants, Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso is the classic rags-to-riches story. Before pulling off a surprise victory in 2019 against two giant surnames in Philippine politics, Moreno lived in the slums of Tondo where he drove pedicabs and scavenged through trash to make ends meet. At 19, he entered the entertainment business under the screen name Isko Moreno. He launched his political career in 1998 when he ran and won as councilor for Manila City’s first legislative district, setting the stage for the former actor’s gradual ascent to the local political arena. After two successful reelection bids as councilor, three consecutive terms as Manila City vice mayor, and now as the capital city’s chief who unexpectedly beat an Estrada and a Lim, Moreno believes he is ready for the presidency.

A staunch advocate against political dynasties, the Manila City mayor is hoping that his rags-to-riches story and the transformation of Manila under his leadership would foment support from Filipino voters. We dug deep into official statements, interviews, and third-party media reports to see where the Aksyon Demokratiko presidential aspirant stands on key issues haunting the Philippines.

Corruption

Moreno promises to go after corrupt officials “both past and present” should he become the next president, a pledge that comes as critics cast doubts on whether he would pursue the Marcos’ family’s ill-gotten wealth. He is also in favor of keeping the mandate of the Presidential Commission on Good Government, the body overseeing the recovery of the Marcoses’ stolen wealth.

Poverty

Moreno, known for frequently brandishing his rags-to-riches rhetoric during interviews, will prioritize bringing back dignity to the poor by giving them their basic needs—decent housing, hospitals, and schools—much like how he did in Manila. Under Moreno’s watch, Manila City is expected to complete housing projects in slum areas that can accommodate informal settlers and urban poor. His administration also revamped the Ospital ng Maynila and approved the construction of air-conditioned buildings in several public schools. These, Moreno vows, will translate into national projects should he succeed in his presidential bid.

Economy

The former actor vows to continue the Duterte administration’s Build, Build, Build program, but his focus will be to erect more schools, hospitals, and housing. If elected, his administration will focus on bringing infrastructure projects outside the capital city for inclusive economic growth. “The same peso that I’m going to spend in terms of development in Metro Manila, I will spend it in the far-flung areas because it will generate more economic growth and opportunities in the provinces,” Moreno said during a one-on-one interview with TV host Boy Abunda that was released on YouTube in late January.

COVID-19 Response

Moreno, whose running mate is Dr. Willie Ong, will consider treating COVID-19 as endemic if elected president, saying more people die from other diseases due to overcapacity in hospitals. "We must be aggressive. We can learn how to live with COVID," he told Abunda during the exclusive interview.

Under Moreno’s leadership, the Manila government opened the city to non-residents who want to receive free anti-COVID-19 drugs and get a COVID-19 swab test. It also rolled out walk-in vaccination sites for all.

West Philippine Sea

Moreno said he will assert the Philippines’ rights in the West Philippine Sea against China, just like how Indonesia’s Joko Widodo did. “That is our place, that is part of our geography, that is part of our sovereignty,” Moreno was quoted as saying in a November 2021 report by Rappler. In an interview with Soho last month, Moreno said he will install the presence of armed forces in the disputed area and ensure that Filipino fishermen can still fish within the exclusive economic zone.

Political Dynasty

A strong opponent of political dynasty, Moreno has repeatedly urged the public to stop voting for the same surnames. “Ang demokrasya ang taumbayan ang pumipili, hindi ipinipilit yung mga kalahi niya (In a democracy, it is the people who choose whom to vote for. You cannot force them to vote your relatives),” he said in an interview. Moreno himself ended one of the country’s most powerful political dynasties when he defeated Joseph Ejercito “Erap” Estrada and Alfredo Lim in the mayoral race in the city of Manila in 2019.

Insurgency

For Moreno, insurgency boils down to livelihood. “Tingin ko basta may hanapbuhay ang tao, may access to education, better health care, nobody in his right mind will go against the government (In my view, as long as one has access to jobs, education, better health care, nobody in his right mind will go against the government), the mayor told reporters in November 2021. A month after that, he said he is not in favor of defunding the National Task Force to End Local Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), a controversial government body that critics say is susceptible to red-tagging. Moreno, however, intends to use the money allotted to NTF-ELCAC to create more jobs instead of spending it on intelligence.

Death Penalty

Moreno said “no” when asked whether he is in favor of the death penalty during the Soho presidential interview. In a December 2021 Asia Times article, Moreno told correspondent Richard Javad Heydarian that he is not in favor of capital punishment because he believes in the “protection [and sanctity] of life,” although he plans to continue the Duterte administration’s war on drugs if he becomes president. “[J]ustice system] may not be a perfect system, but I continue to believe in due process. Rule of law will be observed, and rights will be protected [under my presidency].”

Same-Sex Marriage

In the same yes-or-no segment during the Soho interview, Moreno said same-sex marriage should not be allowed. Explaining his stance days after the interview was aired, the presidential candidate said he respects the rights of the members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersect (LGBTQI) community, including equal recognition of skills and talents. “I grew up with gays and lesbians, lived with it, dealt with it and I’m happy and proud of being with them. So, I continue to respect their preference, I continue to respect their actions privately, I continue to respect their union of being together,” Inquirer quoted Moreno as saying during a media interview.

Divorce

Married with five children, Moreno approves of legalizing divorce in the Philippines. Of the four presidential aspirants who attended the Soho interview in January, only Moreno and Sen. Ping Lacson showed support for divorce.

Environmental Concerns

The Manila City mayor plans to tackle climate change by rehabilitation, recovery, and reforestation. Speaking before stakeholders in the agricultural sector in Mindoro last November 2021, Moreno stressed the need of involving local government units (LGUs), indigenous people, and local communities in a trilateral discussion to preserve the country’s natural assets. In the same month, Moreno denied claims that trees were cut to make way for the construction of facilities in Arroceros Park, said to be the “last lung” of Manila.

Fake News

A Moreno administration will go after social media networking sites that "have done so little to police digital media posts that are malicious and damaging to users,” the Manila mayor told reporters on Jan. 25 in this Philstar article. He also plans to ask social media companies to tighten the account verification process despite the potential pushback from both citizens and social networking giants: "If you do not have bad intentions, if you do not have bad things in mind, you have nothing to worry about." Those who fail to comply, Moreno said, will be barred from conducting business in the country.