Isko Moreno bares Manila plans
Credit to Author: Tempo Desk| Date: Thu, 09 May 2019 10:51:05 +0000
FRANCISCO ‘ISKO MORENO’ DOMAGOSO
Former Manila Vice Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso on Thursday vowed to revitalize Manila’s “deteriorating” physical development by building more green projects and breathing spaces in the city if he wins the mayoral race in the May 13 elections.
“We need to maximize the limited land space and we need to catch up with other Metro Manila cities that have been constructing commercial and modernize hubs,” Domagoso said during the Manila Bulletin’s MBHotSeat forum.
The former vice mayor said he wants to modernize Manila without consuming too much space. This will be part of Domagoso’s 10-year infrastructure plan intended to boost jobs, healthcare, and tourism.
One of his projects is building a new city hall at Liwasang Bonifacio for the employees to have spacious working place. The city hall will be repurposed into a museum, cultural and retail center.
“The city hall, when it was designed by architect Burnham, ang ina-address lang noon ay few thousand Manilenos but that was years ago. Today, Manila has about 1.8 million people and 42,000 business establishments,” he said.
He said he will also pursue the construction of the Manila Skydeck, an elevated walkway similar to the OCBC Skyway of Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay, along Roxas Boulevard in front of the Malate Church and Rajah Sulayman grounds.
The project is in line with his bid to revive the Manila Baywalk where citizens and tourists enjoy the sunset, the open-air cafes and the outdoor restaurants
He is also planning to construct the “City Walk”, a concrete overpass exclusively for pedestrians and bikers in Ermita, Manila.
He wants to build in-city vertical housing units for informal settlers and commercial structures for street vendors in Divisoria, Binondo, and on C.M. Recto to avoid traffic congestion in the area.
Moreno said he is opposing the Manila Bay reclamation, adding he would instead improve the old district of Binondo and Escolta.
“It’s not my priority. Why? There’s so much to develop in the middle part of the city,” he said.
He also promised to preserve the Arroceros Forest Park, Manila’s last lung, where the present administration wants to build a gym for the Unibersidad de Manila.
“I will not sell Arroceros Forest Park. We will protect payayabungin, aalagaan pa namin,” he said.
“We will never forget the old Manila but we will make Manila ready for the challenge of the new generation,” he added.
CLEAN UP MANILA
He said first directive if he wins the midterm elections is to “clean up Manila.”
“Managing waste is my expertise since I was once a garbage collector when I was a high school student,” he said.
He will address the waste management problem of the city by improving garbage collection and having an incentive program for village clean-up, and provide jobs through the Metro Aide Program.
He will also introduce the Pagkain sa Basura (Food from Garbage) Program through the collection of recyclable materials and trading them for coupons for free food.
Asked about same sex marriage, Domagoso said that he is not in favor of it.
“I’m not in favor. Ayun ang batas. In a civilized world, we are guided by the law. If there is a law, I will support it,” he said.
However, he will support the LGBT community by organizing and showcasing activities such as pride parade in the city.
“Pride Parade should be in Manila. Because Manila alone, demographically speaking is the melting pot of the country. Lahat dito welcome. It’s a statement from the capital of the country that we respect people,” he said. (Erma Edera)