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Philippines: Manila's mayor announces bid for the presidential race

Instead of flattening the curve we have flattened the economy

manilaf Manila Mayor Isko Moreno | Reuters

Manila's mayor Francisco Domagoso, on Wednesday, said he will run for president of the Philippines in the 2022 elections. 47-year-old Domagoso is better known by his pen name Isko Moreno. 

“Instead of flattening the curve we have flattened the economy, yet many people continue to flatline in our hospitals,” Isko Moreno told Reuters. Moreno grew up in the slums of Tondo and was a rubbish collector before he became an actor. 

As Mayor fin Manila, he launched a campaign to clean up the capital-- cleaning up streets that were once crowded with street vendors. He was discovered at a funeral by a talent scout. He has 16 million followers on Facebook. In the Philippines, the president and vice president are elected separately. Moreno is the third person to announce his candidacy after former police chief Panfilo Lacson and world boxing icon Manny Pacquiao - both outgoing senators. President Rodrigo Dutertehas confirmed that he will run for vice president, a move that critics see as a game to stay in power. 

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