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Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star
May 27, 2025 | 12:00am
Former Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso cast his vote at Manuel L. Quezon Elementary School in Tondo, Manila on May 12, 2025.
Philstar.com / Anj Andaya
MANILA, Philippines — Voters in Manila have expressed loud and clear what they think of the previous city administration, according to mayor-elect Isko Moreno Domagoso.
“The election result in the city of Manila was the total rejection of that group of people (outgoing administration) – they have no place in their hearts. Ineffective, chaotic, there’s no government and so on and so forth,” he said in an interview on The STAR’s online show “Truth on the Line” yesterday.
Asked how he would rate his predecessor, whether “pass or fail,” he said, “I think ‘fail’ is the answer of the people.”
“With that kind of vote, that’s really a total rejection, that kind of lead and mandate,” he added.
Domagoso secured his return to city hall – following a single term as mayor from 2019 to 2022 – after getting 530,825 votes or 59.02 percent of the total votes, according to Commission on Elections data.
He defeated incumbent Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan, who was his vice mayor from 2019 to 2022, and only got 190,617 votes or 21.19 percent of the total votes this midterm elections.
Domagoso’s running mate Chi Atienza also won as vice mayor with 584,145 votes or 66.65 percent of the total votes, beating incumbent Vice Mayor Yul Servo Nieto.
In addition, a majority of the 36 seats for elected councilors in the city council were reportedly claimed by candidates from Domagoso’s party Yorme’s Choice.
With the overwhelming vote that he earned, Domagoso promised he would “have to answer to the people of Manila.”
“We will focus on the task at hand… I was asked and I will commit to a 10-year program for the City of Manila,” he said about his plans in the next presidential election in 2028.
Without mentioning names, Domagoso accused Lacuna-Pangan’s administration of “total negligence,” claiming that the city government has unpaid obligations ranging between P8 billion and P11 billion.
In what he termed as a “grave fiscal problem in the city,” Domagoso said he found out contractors for the city’s various services such as medicines, security and even cake supply for senior citizens have been unpaid for months.
“The question if there is corruption or red tape, that I cannot answer now. I don’t want to judge people,” he maintained.
He said he would reveal more information on his upcoming inauguration as the new mayor of the capital city on June 30, adding that heads will roll by noon that day.
“Manila has a lot of problems, but I will prioritize the problems of the people. Whoever needs to answer for their shortcomings will have to answer. I have an obligation to the people,” he added.
