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Isko Moreno: The Filipino Jokowi?
The mayor, affectionately nicknamed 'Yorme', spends half his time outside of office, attending events and conducting inspections. - Photos by Carlo Gabuco and Team Ceritalah
HE was born in Manila’s Tondo, one of the poorest and most densely-populated neighbourhoods in the world. Much of his youth was spent scavenging for pagpag, literally, re-fried leftovers from the garbage.
Now 45 years old, Francisco Moreno Domagoso, or, as he’s known to the Philippine public, “Isko Moreno", is the mayor of Manila.
The leap from street urchin to mayor seems like the stuff from movies, and indeed, that’s where he got his start. This being the Philippines as well, politics was never far away.
Isko was discovered in Tondo by a talent scout at a wake. A series of breakout TV and film roles followed, and the rest is history.
But he hasn’t forgotten where he’s come from and the lessons from his upbringing:
"I grew up with criminals, with drug addicts. I grew up on the street. I was given a hard life since the day I was born to understand our community today...God has so many ways of teaching you. You've seen where I live, and it was hell back then...I didn’t know what my purpose was and I thought, 'Oh God, when will this end?' But later only to find out, that I would be mayor. And now I understand the reason."
And Tondo still remembers – and loves him.
Fifty-year-old port worker Gibo, who says he grew up with Isko in Tondo’s Moriones section, jokes that he was there when the latter got his break. As Gibo told Team Ceritalah, while things haven’t immediately improved in Moriones, the Yorme (street slang for mayor) just needs to continue what he’s doing and avoid being ningas kugon – starting strong but disappointing later
Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/...oreno-the-filipino-jokowi#T2VcAjASAO8QeB6U.99
- CERITALAH
- Sunday, 03 Nov 2019
By Karim Raslan
The mayor, affectionately nicknamed 'Yorme', spends half his time outside of office, attending events and conducting inspections. - Photos by Carlo Gabuco and Team Ceritalah
HE was born in Manila’s Tondo, one of the poorest and most densely-populated neighbourhoods in the world. Much of his youth was spent scavenging for pagpag, literally, re-fried leftovers from the garbage.
Now 45 years old, Francisco Moreno Domagoso, or, as he’s known to the Philippine public, “Isko Moreno", is the mayor of Manila.
The leap from street urchin to mayor seems like the stuff from movies, and indeed, that’s where he got his start. This being the Philippines as well, politics was never far away.
Isko was discovered in Tondo by a talent scout at a wake. A series of breakout TV and film roles followed, and the rest is history.
But he hasn’t forgotten where he’s come from and the lessons from his upbringing:
"I grew up with criminals, with drug addicts. I grew up on the street. I was given a hard life since the day I was born to understand our community today...God has so many ways of teaching you. You've seen where I live, and it was hell back then...I didn’t know what my purpose was and I thought, 'Oh God, when will this end?' But later only to find out, that I would be mayor. And now I understand the reason."
And Tondo still remembers – and loves him.
Fifty-year-old port worker Gibo, who says he grew up with Isko in Tondo’s Moriones section, jokes that he was there when the latter got his break. As Gibo told Team Ceritalah, while things haven’t immediately improved in Moriones, the Yorme (street slang for mayor) just needs to continue what he’s doing and avoid being ningas kugon – starting strong but disappointing later
Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/...oreno-the-filipino-jokowi#T2VcAjASAO8QeB6U.99
