Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso reiterated that he has no plans to run for the presidential post in 2022 elections, saying that he prefers to focus on addressing the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
He stressed his point after a survey recently released by Pulse Asia Research, Inc. showed Domagoso among the top picks as a presidential candidate in 2022.
The Manila mayor landed the fourth spot with 12 percent of votes.
Davao City Mayor and Presidential daughter Sara Duterte led the survey with 26 percent of votes, followed by former senator Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. and Senator Grace Poe who each had 14 percent of votes.
Domagoso described his inclusion in the list of top presidential candidates as an “honor.” However, he remained firm in saying that he will stay on with the local government unit of the City of Manila in 2022.
“More than political growth and career growth, hindi ko talaga siya ine-entertain. I would rather focus on Manila and focus on the pandemic,” he said in an interview with CNN Philippines on Sunday.
The local chief executive urged politicians and the public to focus on securing a vaccine against COVID-19 in the first quarter of 2021 as well as finding ways to cushion the socioeconomic impact of the pandemic on Filipino families.
