Aksyon Demokratiko standard-bearer Isko Moreno Domagoso will wage a war on poverty and hunger and will fight to provide a brighter future for all Filipinos if elected president.
This the former “basurero” (trash collector) from Tondo, Manila vowed as he visited towns in Bulacan last weekend to share his plans to address poverty and growing inequality in the country.
The 47-year-old former actor expressed admiration for the bravery and courage of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, and said that these should be duplicated in the war against poverty, hunger, and inequality in the country.
While stressing that he would work to keep the country out of violent conflicts, Moreno emphasized that he would lead a war against the country’s greatest ills.
“Ang gusto kong giyera, yung labanan nating yung hirap ng tao, yung hapdi ng sikmura, yung kapanatagan sa bawat buhay ng Pilipino. Yun ang giyerang gusto kong pasukin,” Moreno told reporters after a town hall meeting in San Miguel, Bulacan.
The 47-year-old former actor expressed admiration for the bravery and courage of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, and said that these should be duplicated in the war against poverty, hunger, and inequality in the country.
According to Moreno, “yung ginagawa ni Zelensky is worth emulating, bagay na gayahin ng mga lider. Na ang isang lider, hindi duwag, hindi nagtatago, hundi natatakot at sinasamahan ang kanyang mamamayan, at nauunawaan niya ang sitwasyon ng kanyang mamamayan.”
“And ngayon, ang giyerang kinakaharap natin ay giyera ng kahirapan ng tao, pangamba ng tao, kasiguruhan ng tao, kinabukasan ng tao. Yun ang giyerang kakaharapin ko naman, and I’ll be with you all the way.”
The Manila mayor has vowed to pursue a “Life and Livelihood” economic policy that aims to address poverty, hunger, unemployment, inequality, and social injustice through an inclusive and equitable infrastructure development program as spelled out under his 10-point Bilis Kilos Economic Agenda.
To achieve this, the first two years of an Isko presidency will focus on building facilities that will provide the minimum basic needs of the people: quality housing, education, and health care, and creating jobs and livelihood opportunities.
Among the first economic policies that his government will introduce is a 50% cut in the excise tax of petroleum products to bring down the cost of food production, especially rice. Doing this will raise the income of farmers and fisherfolk and bring down the prices of basic commodities.
Under Moreno’s Economic Agenda, the government will be a major driver in the creation of better jobs and opportunities by providing various interventions and support to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
To assure farmers of their income, the government will buy the surplus produce of farmers at the right price and issue clear guidelines about the strict importation of agricultural products to make sure that local producers can sell their products first before importation is made.
He also vowed to clamp down on the smuggling of agricultural products to protect the interests of local producers, like the hog and chicken raisers in Bulacan, and rice and vegetable farmers all over the country.
Additional support to the agriculture sector includes providing risk-free capitals to farmers and fisherfolk; building more irrigation systems while improving the efficiency of existing ones; establishment of cold storage facilities across the country and in major production areas; and establishing the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, among others.
Under Moreno’s Economic Agenda, the government will be a major driver in the creation of better jobs and opportunities by providing various interventions and support to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) which comprises the majority of businesses in the country and employs around 63 percent of the total workforce.
Besides building more housing, world-class hospitals, modern public schools, and inter-island linkages, Moreno’s accelerated infrastructure program also prioritizes the construction of more power plants, both conventional and renewable, to ensure a stable and affordable supply of electricity to grow the economy and attract foreign investments, and thus provide more jobs.