Permit for Isko motorcade revoked in Caloocan; campaign manager smells politics

The scheduled motorcade in Caloocan City of presidential candidate and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno on Tuesday did not push through after the city government revoked the permit.

In a letter to Moreno's team, city administrator Oliver Hernandez said they cannot issue the permit "because the identified routes in your letter involve major thoroughfares in Metro Manila which are under the jurisdiction of the" Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

Lito Banayo, Moreno's campaign manager, said the permit was initially approved by the local government but was later revoked.

“Tumawag kami sa MMDA. Eh 'yun pala nasabihan na nila yung MMDA din, ng Caloocan, ng city of administrator na binawi na raw nila ‘yung permit dahil nagkaka-traffic daw. Eh sana naman di na nila binigyan muna,” Banayo said in an ambush interview.

(We called the MMDA and we found out that the Caloocan government, its city administrator, had already told the MMDA that they revoked the permit because of traffic issues. Then they shouldn’t have given us the permit in the first place.)

“So siyempre hindi mo maaalis sa amin mag-isip na local politics ang maaaring dahilan dahil ang kandidato ng Aksyon (Demokratiko, Moreno's party) ay si Congressman Egay Erice para mayor ng Caloocan, samantalang ang incumbent mayor, kaibigan kong si Oca Malapitan, ang anak niya tumatakbo,” he added.

(So of course we can’t help but think that local politics is involved because the mayoral candidate of Aksyon Demokratiko is Congressman Egay Erice while the son of incumbent Mayor Octa Malapitan is also running.)

A campaign staff of Moreno said they filed the permit Thursday last week.

Not political

Sought for comment, Mayor Oscar Malapitan denied that politics was involved in the revocation of the permit for Moreno's campaign motorcade.

“Walang kinalaman dito ang politics (There is no politics here),” Malapitan told GMA News Online in a phone interview.

Malapitan said the local government issued the permit without knowledge of the MMDA resolution.

According to him, they learned of the resolution through the campaign team of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, a candidate for vice president who was supposed to hold a motorcade in Caloocan on Friday.

“Welcome silang mag-motorcade, provided Saturday and Sunday [They are welcome to hold a motorcade, but only on Saturday and Sunday],” Malapitan said.

Welcome in Manila

For his part, Moreno said all candidates are welcome to campaign in Manila.

“Basta sa ating mga kandidato sa Maynila, welcome kayo. Hindi niyo na kailangan ng permit. Mga kandidatong senador, vice president, atsaka mga party-list at president, lahat kayo welcome sa Manila,” he said.

(All candidates are welcome to campaign in Manila. You don’t need a permit. Candidates for senators, vice presidents, party lists, and presidents, you are all welcome in Manila.)

Pro-Duterte groups back Isko

Meanwhile, workers and transport groups under the Labor Power Movement (LPM), which supported President Rodrigo Roa Duterte in the 2016 election, have switched their support for Moreno's presidential bid.

A press release from Moreno's camp said the 200,000-strong LPM announced their all-out support for Moreno during a press conference held in Intramuros, Manila.

LPM is composed of the Bus Transport Workers Alliance (BTWA), Alliance of Genuine Labor Organizations (AGLO), and National Confederation of Labor (NCL).

"Bakit si Isko? Dahil ipagpapatuloy nya yung Build, Build, Build. So, kami nakita namin sa hanay namin na kinakailangan natin ng bata at mabilis kumilos. Ayaw na namin ng trapo (traditional politician)," said Eduardo Laurencio, AGLO secretary-general.

(Why Isko? Because he would continue the Build, Build, Build infrastructure projects of the government. So we see in our ranks the need for someone young and someone who acts fast. We don't like traditional politicians.)

Moreno, for his part, happily acknowledged the support of the three labor groups.  —KBK, GMA News