MANILA - Aksyon Demokratiko standard bearer and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso on Friday formally secured the support of all incumbent Batangas lawmakers and 21 mayors for his presidential bid in the 2022 national elections.

Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto welcomed Domagoso and the Aksyon Demokratiko slate to his bailiwick Lipa City to attend the convention of ONE Batangas.

“Ang Batangas kinikilala na matalinong botante. Walang nanalong pangulo ang hindi nananalo sa lalawigan ng Batangas,” Recto said during the convention, flexing the province’s 1.7 million voters.

(Batangas is known for having smart voters. No president won without winning in Batangas.)

“Elections are in the air… Maraming pupunta dine para hingin pero maliwanag na mayroon na tayong sinagot na nanliligaw sa atin,” he said.

(A lot of candidates will come here to woo us, but it is clear that we have already given our commitment to one suitor.)

“Unahin natin si Mayor Isko… Dito sa Batangas, may baon na silang 1 milyong boto,” he said.

(Let us put Mayor Isko first… In Batangas, they will bring home 1 million votes.)

Domagoso’s achievements in the capital city in a span of 2 years can be replicated in the Philippines, Recto told his allies.

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“Nagulat ako sa mga ginawa niya sa Maynila sa loob ng 2 taon… Nakapagpagawa ng field hospital sa loob ng 55 days, talo ang national government,” he said.

(I was surprised at what he did in Manila in a span of 2 years… He built a field hospital in a span of 55 days, better than the national government.)

“Si Mayor Isko, tawagan ninyo, may handang gamot. Wala ang national government. Gawin natin yan sa buong Pilipinas,” he said.

(If you call Mayor Isko, he has medicine on hand. The national government has none. Let’s do that in the entire Philippines.)

Recto, scion of late statesman Claro M. Recto, is seeking to replace his wife Vilma Santos-Recto as Batangas 6th district representative next year.

The actress-turned-lawmaker “will take a backseat from politics for now,” Recto told reporters when asked why his wife did not attend the event.

Domagoso, his vice presidential bet Willie Ong and their senatorial slate were endorsed by the following Batangas lawmakers:

• Rep. Elenita Ermita-Buhain
• House Deputy Speaker Raneo Abu
• Rep. Ma. Theresa Collantes
• House Deputy Majority Leader Lianda Bolilia
• Rep. Mario Mariño

The Aksyon Demokratiko standard bearer urged Batangueños to give him a chance, saying he would focus on common folk and not political foes.

“Kaya kayo umunlad, isinantabi ninyo ang pulitika, inuna ninyo ang mga tao kaya hindi mapigilan ang pag-unlad,” Domagoso said, referring to ONE Batangas, the province’s biggest political coalition.

(You progressed because you set aside politics. You prioritized the people that is why no one can stop your growth.)

“Wag tayo mabuhay sa anino ng nakaraan. Katulad ng ginawa ninyo sa Batangas, makakamit din natin ang pag unlad,” he said.

(Let us not live in the past. Just like what you did in Batangas, we will all achieve progress.)

This push does not mean that a Domagoso administration would not go after those charged with plunder, the Manila Mayor said.

“We will never ever forget what happened in the past,” he said.

“Ang gusto ko lang, let us move forward… Tayo ay may karapatan mabuhay sa kasalukuyan. We deserve to live in the present and work together for our future. Yun ang uunahin natin.”

(WhatbI want is for us to move forward… We have a right to live in the present. We deserve to live in the present and work together for our future. That is what we will prioritize.”

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