FALSE: Isko Moreno quote on previous admin’s Manila Bay efforts

Claim:

Manila Mayor Isko Moreno questioned the previous administration’s failure to rehabilitate Manila Bay despite its supposed huge budget that amounted to P6.4 trillion.

Facebook user HallyRiah MaryDavez posted a quote card of Moreno on Tuesday, September 8. It had over 5,200 shares, 2,500 reactions, and 95 comments as of writing. A reader emailed Rappler a link to the post for verification.

Rating: FALSE

The facts:

When asked for the veracity of the quote card, Manila Public Information Office chief Julius Leonen told Rappler in a text message, “We don’t recall any event where he made those remarks.”

There are also no official reports from any legitimate news outlet that quoted Moreno as saying: “Noong panahon ng nagdaang Pangulo 6.4T budget may naipaganda ba? Ngayong panahon na ito nagkaroon na ng pagkakataon na pagandahin ang ating bansa, nagrereklamo pa rin kayo? Gusto niyo ibalik sa basura ang itsura ng Manila Bay?”

(The previous administration had a P6.4-trillion budget, but were there improvements on Manila Bay? This time we’re given the opportunity to rehabilitate our country, and you’re still complaining? Do you want Manila Bay to look like trash again?)

Moreno’s closest remark to this was during his live press conference on September 4 where he said, “For the first time in history, somebody attempted na tanggalin ang dumi sa (to remove trash from) Manila Bay. The national government through Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), through Secretary [Roy] Cimatu, and the local government – in our own little way, kung ano ‘yung kapasidad namin, itinutulong namin (we do what we can in our own capacity).”

Moreno also voiced out support for the development project during the press conference and said he trusts DENR to know whether or not the materials being used in the project are harmful. At the same time, he urged the public to scrutinize the supposed dangers of dolomite. (READ: FAST FACTS: What is dolomite sand, and how will it affect Manila Bay?)

Moreover, the P6.4-trillion figure mentioned in the quote card was not the budget of the Benigno Aquino III’s administration but was the outstanding debt estimates of the Freedom from Debt Coalition in February 2016. Outstanding debt stood at P5.9 trillion by the end of Aquino’s term. (READ: FALSE: Noynoy Aquino incurred P6.4-trillion debt, higher than Duterte)

Rappler also reached out to the Facebook user that posted the quote card to ask for the post’s source but we received no response. – Pauline Macaraeg/Rappler.com

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