Isko Moreno after winning vs Honey Lacuna: Now let’s heal
Manila Mayor-elect Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso (left) and outgoing Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna (File photo from EDWIN BACASMAS)
MANILA, Philippines — Manila Mayor-elect Isko Moreno urged the people to move on from politics after winning against his former ally, outgoing Mayor Honey Lacuna, in the 2025 midterm elections.
In an interview with ANC on Tuesday, Moreno said the reactions of Manileños were different after he was proclaimed mayor on May 13.
READ: Manila Mayor Lacuna concedes
“I saw the burst of reactions of the people, really fuming… Well, you can feel it. Even the candidates who won from their parties, their mood was different,” he recalled.
“Then, when we won, the jubilation was different,” he observed.
“I said, ‘No, no. Make your emotions subside. Let’s start healing each other.’ Those are the exact words I said,” Moreno noted.
“I told everyone to start healing each other because at the end of the day, we, the people of Manila, will also be the ones to meet in the finals. And I think that is a message sent to the other side,” he further said.
Moreno also mentioned the issue of borrowing millions of pesos during his term as mayor from 2019 to 2022, asserting that he chose to answer every allegation thrown at him.
READ: Isko Moreno: Pandemic borrowing benefited 2 million Manileños
“If there’s a question from the people, I answer it. All the accusations they made against me, I admitted them. ‘This is the accusation. This was what I did. Why did I do that? This is the reason.’ The people understood,” he said.
He said that the results of the election speak for themselves, “and I’m happy about it, and I move on with our lives.”
After taking his oath on Monday, Moreno is waiting for advice from the camp of Lacuna on the matter of the transition of office.
“It’s your obligation to submit because you are the incumbent. You have to submit it to the incoming. We are just waiting,” he said.
Moreno and Lacuna were running mates in the 2019 elections, vying for the mayoral and vice mayoral seats.
After their terms ended in 2022, Moreno ran for president and endorsed Lacuna as his successor./apl/abc
