(Eagle News)–Mayor Isko Moreno on Wednesday, Sept. 11, returned the kind words given to him by President Rodrigo Duterte, who had noticed his efforts to clean up Manila.
“Thank you for the kind words, Mr. President, but to be really honest, isa po kayo sa mga naging inspirasyon ko sa kung ano mang klase ng liderato na meron kami,” Moreno said in a statement.
According to Moreno, “kung ano man ang nakikita nating pagpupursige ng mga alkalde sa buong Pilipinas, hindi lang po ako, ay reflection lamang ng klase ng liderato at Pangulo na meron tayo.”
He recalled his own visit to Davao, where Duterte was mayor before he became President in 2016.
Duterte implemented a strict no-smoking policy there when he was the local chief executive.
According to Moreno, “kapag nasa Davao City po ako, takot na takot po akong manigarilyo dahil alam ko pong huhulihin ako.”
He also recalled another time when he was on his way back to Davao City from Tagum.
“Medyo dis oras na ng gabi, pero biglang bumagal po ang takbo ng sasakyan namin so tinanong namin ‘yung driver kung bakit. Simple lang yung sagot nya. “Kasi po nasa Davao City na tayo. Kahit gabi ho dito, may pulis man o wala, sumusunod kami sa batas trapiko,” Moreno said.
According to Moreno, “it is not the severity of the punishment itself, but the certainty of getting caught that deters a person from committing a crime.”
“So we owe it to you Mr. President, for inspiring us and for becoming a good example to all of us,” Moreno said.
In a speech on Tuesday, Sept. 10, President Duterte lauded Moreno, whose cleanup efforts in Manila has led to a clean Divisoria, Lagusnilad underpass, among others.
Moreno has also asked the Department of Tourism to help him revive tourist spots in the city, and imposed a strict curfew for minors.
In his speech, Duterte described Moreno as “better” than him.
“Bilib ako sa kanya. Kaya nanonood ako noong nagsasalita siya… Mas mahusay ang resolve niya kaysa akin,” Duterte added.
