MANILA, Philippines – Manila Mayor Isko Moreno could not help but get emotional when he, a former shanty-dweller, turned over units of his administration’s first vertical housing project to poor Manileño families on Monday, February 7.

Moreno wiped tears from his eyes as he sat onstage at the Tondominium I inauguration ceremony in Vitas, Tondo, a poor community in Manila where he himself grew up.

He wrapped up his more somber-than-usual speech with a quivering voice and looked away from the audience as tears welled up.

The event brought back memories of Moreno’s own childhood as a Tondo boy who lived in a makeshift house with his father and mother, a stevedore and laundrywoman.

“Sa araw-araw na pamumuhay mo bilang squatter, binabagabag ka kung ‘yung bahay mo, galing ka sa eskuwela bilang bata, kung nakatirik pa pagbalik mo dahil ‘yung lupa, hindi inyo,” said Moreno, addressing over one hundred Manileños representing families given a unit in the new 15-storey Tondo condominium.

(Every day of your life as a squatter, you wonder when you walk home from school if your house is still there because you don’t own the land it stands on.)

“Ang mga karanasang ito ay isang takot ng bawat tao, pangamba ng bawat tao (This experience is the fear of each person, the worry of each person),” he added.

Moreno posed for photos with the families who were given a “certificate of unit assignment” by the city government for one of the 168 units of Tondominium I. The building’s twin, Tondominium II, is currently under construction. Together, the entire Tondominium compound cost P1 billion and was funded through a loan secured by Manila City Hall from Development Bank of the Philippines.

Each unit has an area of 44 square meters, roomier than some units sold by real estate developers; two bedrooms, a dining room, kitchen, bathroom, and living room. Common areas of the new condo include a sports center, swimming pool, park, and daycare area.

Moreno appealed to the Manila families given units to take care of their new homes.

“Nangarap din ako nang sariling mauuwian, umulan o bumagyo, magkaroon ng delubyo , magdildil man kami ng asin, at least yung bahay ay amin,” he said.

(I too aspired for a home to return to, come rain or typhoon, come disasters, through the toughest times, at least the house is ours.)

Inauguration on eve of campaign period

But Moreno also used the occasion to allude to his 2022 presidential campaign. Tondominium I’s inauguration was notably timed to take place on the eve of the first day of the campaign period for national candidates.

February 8 is the first day of this campaign period. Moreno is set to kick off his campaign on this day, at the Kartilya ng Katipunan in Manila.

After talking about the hardships of an informal settler’s life, Moreno castigated politicians who make promises for the poor during elections but do not fulfill these.

He said as a Tondo boy, he would attend political gatherings to get a free meal. He remembers politicians making big promises then.

“Parang tuwing halalan, ang mga mahihirap laging bida sa kuwentuhan… Pero ‘pag panahon na nang oras ng paglilingkod, hindi naman natin matagpuan ‘yung katotohanan sa likod ng mga salita ng mga kilalang pamilya,” said Moreno.

(It’s like during elections, the poor are always the heroes in the stories politicians tell… But when it’s time for service, we can’t find the truth in the words of those from powerful families.)

“Mabigyan lang ako ng pagkakataon, walang maiiwan (Just give me a chance, no one will be left behind),” promised the Manila Mayor, one of only three top presidential candidates who can credibly say they rose from poverty.

Moreno is being consistent with his messaging since he launched his presidential bid in September 2021 – that he is supposedly the salve to decades of Philippine politics dominated by the same powerful families.

The Tondominium buildings are two of Moreno’s seven housing projects, six of which are vertical housing. Housing has been a touchstone of his mayorship and he promises it will be a major part of his national program should he win as president in May 2022.

Last Friday, February 4, after participating in the KBP Presidential Candidates Forum, Moreno inaugurated the redeveloped Arroceros Urban Forest Park. – Rappler.com