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After his failed presidential run in 2022, Isko Moreno is vying for the mayoral seat against his ‘Ate,’ incumbent Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna
MANILA, Philippines – Former Manila Mayor Isko Moreno and incumbent Mayor Honey Lacuna, who have long considered each other like siblings, are now going head-to-head for the city’s top post.
Moreno officially filed his candidacy under Aksyon Demokratiko on Tuesday, October 8, while Lacuna launched her reelection bid under Asenso Manileño last Thursday, October 3.
Moreno is running alongside vice mayoral candidate Chi Atienza, daughter of former Manila Mayor Lito Atienza, who is also eyeing a political comeback as a Buhay Party-list representative. Chi, known for her television career, adds another touch of celebrity to the actor Moreno’s slate.
Meanwhile, Lacuna chose Vice Mayor Yul Servo as her running mate. Servo, an actor-turned-politician, served as a three-term city councilor and 3rd District representative of Manila.
In 2019, Moreno and Lacuna ran as a team and both won as mayor and vice mayor, respectively.
Their partnership flourished, especially when they faced the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic together. As vice mayor, Lacuna, a licensed physician, became Moreno’s key adviser on health matters, coordinating the city’s pandemic response.
“Not once did I feel that I was only a spare tire,” Lacuna said of Moreno in 2022. “He treated me as a sister and partner in all city government activities.”
When Moreno pursued the presidency in 2022, he handpicked Lacuna as his successor for the mayoral seat.
“Walang halong pagdududa ko kayong ipagkakatiwala kay Honey Lacuna, dahil alam ko po na kaya niyang ipagpatuloy ang mga bagay na nasimulan na natin sa lungsod ng Maynila at mamamayan nito,” Moreno said in September 2021.
(I have no doubt in my mind about handing over city hall to Honey Lacuna, because I am sure she will continue the reforms we started in Manila.)
Lacuna went on to win as mayor, while Moreno’s presidential bid ended in defeat.
It was Moreno who administered Lacuna’s oath of office when she assumed the role of vice mayor.
A second father
What further binds Lacuna and Moreno is Danny Lacuna, Honey’s father and a former vice mayor of the city. Danny was Isko’s political mentor.
Moreno said that it was only “Boss Danny” who believed in him when he was still a councilor. It was also Danny who encourged him to study.
Term-limited vice mayor Danny, in his bid for the mayoral post in 2007, picked Moreno as running mate for vice mayor. Danny lost, Moreno won.
Danny died on August 13, 2023, more than a year ago.
Lacuna expressed her disappointment with Moreno’s decision to re-enter politics after his presidential loss.
“I feel betrayed because when he left and ran for president, it was very clear to us, to our party, that if he didn’t win, he said he would retire. On several occasions when we were together, he would always say that, assuring everyone that he was done with politics and that we would never end up as rivals,” Lacuna said in Filipino in an interview with One Ph.
According to Lacuna, Moreno had promised to pursue teaching if his presidential bid failed.
After his defeat, Moreno returned to show business, the industry where he first gained fame.
Moreno would take over as the main host of the long-running noon show Eat Bulaga! following the departure of the original hosts Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon in May 2023. After the Romeo Jalosjos-led Television and Production Exponents Incorporated (TAPE) lost a trademark battle with the Sotto brothers and De Leon, TAPE renamed the Moreno-led show Tahanang Pinakamasaya (Home of the Happiest) on GMA Channel 7, but it was short-lived and ended in March 2024 after only two months.
– Rappler.com
