By Robert B. Roque Jr.
Yorme Isko Moreno is all steam ahead in his bid for a comeback in Manila and his recent crowd-drawing event at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium is impressive.
“Lilinisin natin ulit ang Maynila. Maliligo ulit,” he says. “Lima singko na naman ang mga tolongges…” Those are just a couple of his signature lines that rally voters behind him: a resolve to clean up the city of all its trash and societal ills.
But let’s have a moment of reality check – something Firing Line hopes reaches him: Yorme, you have to check your own backyard. Apparently, you have a few people in your team banking on invitations for you to speak before exclusive audiences.
In short, mukhang may tolongges sa campaign team mo, sir. Recently, a group of socio-civic volunteers wanted you to be their keynote speaker but their emissary was told by a rainbow-colored member of your staff that — in your own lingo — certain “Eddie” needs to be fixed.
Yes, this group that held their event in Binondo might be known to have deep pockets, but such a suggestion coming from a member of your team can really drag you down – even more if you get elected back to City Hall.
Aspirants should be winning over voters, not making them pay for an audience. If true, this reeks of the very “dugyot” politics Yorme Isko claims to despise. Time for a cleanup — starting with his own team.
Dizon’s decision
The resignation of Jaime Bautista as Department of Transportation (DOTr) secretary came as a surprise and so did the instant naming of Vince Dizon, former COVID-19 testing czar, as his replacement. To a certain extent, it felt — well, for lack of a better term — well-orchestrated by the administration.
As to why, there are many speculations. I’m not about to mince them one by one just yet.
But this corner does take exception to one of Dizon’s earliest policy settings upon his assumption to the post: suspending the planned “cashless only” transactions along the country’s tollway systems.
To me it seems odd and defeatist that Dizon’s choice for his “oplan pakilala” is to slam the brakes on a modern system that is years in the making. The shift to cashless toll collection is designed to cut congestion and modernize our system.
Now, he puts it on hold, all because of a flimsy excuse about it being “anti-poor.” I don’t know whose intelligence is being challenged with this premise since most of the tollway users are private car owners. Are they the ones he is referring to as poor?
We’re not talking about commuters scraping together jeepney fare. And let’s be real — 97% of tollway users already have RFID. That last 3%? That’s not poverty. That’s plain stubbornness. They hold up the lines because they refuse to adapt, and now we’re all stuck in their mess.
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SHORT BURSTS. For comments or reactions, email firingline@ymail.com or tweet @Side_View via X. Read current and past issues of this column at http://www.thephilbiznews.com
