Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno appealed to the parents of the solvent boys to make their children feel that they have family and not let them leave in the streets.

During his weekly capital report, Moreno said that they already rescued 365 street children, some of them are already using solvent.

According to Moreno, the rescue operations conducted by the Manila City Government made their boys and girls town crowded.

He also asked the parents to retrieve their rescued children and not to give up on taking care of them because it would only make the situation worse.

“Alam ko mahirap ang buhay, pero hindi ito dapat maging sapat na dahilan para itapon ang ating anak sa kalye… malalagay po sila sa panganib, sa mga bagay na dapat hindi nila mararanasan,” Moreno said.

“Sana wag niyo na silang ibalik sa kalye, bakit? Dahil kayo ang magulang niyan eh. Gagawa gawa kayo ng bata tapos pababayaan niyo lang sa kalye?” he added.

The Manila Mayor said that they would not stop in rescuing children in streets. However, he believes that parents should be more concern about their child.

He also narrated how his parents took care of him and never left him to roam in the streets at night despite being in extreme poverty.

“Hindi ba kayo nagtataka bakit nawawala ang inyong mga anak? Wala na ba kayong pakialam o sadyang nawalan na kayo ng pag asa? Aba wag ho, kung yung nanay ko nawalan ng pag asa sa akin eh baka ako sa kinalalagyan ko ngayon,” said Moreno.

“Mas mahirap pa ang dinanas namin sa inyo, ang kinakain ko ay tira ng tao sa basurahan pero ni minsan hindi ko naramdaman sa nanay ko na iiwan ako sa kalye, in fact alas sais palang ay hinahanap na kami ng magulang namin,” he added.

Moreno believes that despite difficulties in life, parents should not give up on taking care of their children.

The Mayor pointed out that it’s easier now for the parents to let their children escape poverty because there’s already a free education for them, free food under nutribun program and free allowances.

“Kaya tinawag na bata yan dahil hindi niya alam ang kanyang ginagawa… kaya naman tayo tinawag na magulang ay dahil tayo naman ang nagtitiyak, nag gagabay, nangangaral at nag pupursigi para iraos ang kanilang magandang kinabukasan,” he said.

“Tama ng tayo nalang mga magulang ang mahirap, kung ang yaman ay naipapamana ganoon din ang kahirapan naipapamana rin yan kung hindi tayo mag sisikap na itaguyod ang ating mga anak,” he added.

In another live video, Moreno already warned the parents of the street children not to neglect their child or else they would face charges under the law.

It seems that the financial problem of Hidilyn Diaz is now over after Senator Christopher “Bong” Go helped her to get a sponsorship from a Petroleum company.

On Thursday afternoon, weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz who’s known for getting a silver medal in the 2016 Olympics personally went to Malacanang to receive the PHP2-million sponsorship deal with Phoenix Petroleum to help her to prepare for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Diaz witnessed the signing of the memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and Phoenix Petroleum.

PSC chairman William ‘Butch’ Ramirez and Phoenix President Raymond Zorilla signed the MOA in front of Diaz and Go.

The agreement reads that Diaz may use the P2-M as food allowance, housing allowance, a transporation allowance, overseas training allowance, strength, and conditioning coach allowance and etc.

According to Go, they heard the complaint of Hidilyn Diaz two months ago saying that she’s lack of budget to prepare for the 2020 Olympics.

“Nagreklamo siya. Sabi naman ng PSC, hindi nila kayang sagutin lahat kasi may ibang requirements sa pagti-training, sa mga coaches niya, medyo mahal, so sabi ko hanap ako ng mga kaibigan na puwedeng tumulong,” Go told reporters.

Meanwhile, Hidilyn Diaz thanked the people behind the sponsorship deal, saying that it’s a big help for her to train effectively and get a gold medal for the Philippines.

“Malaking bagay yun kasi maglalaro ako sa Olympics, and there’s a lot of competition that I need to compete in preparation towards the Olympics. Medyo mahirap, so may core team ako and I’m so grateful for the help, for the support they’ve given,” she said.

Diaz became controversial two months ago after she posted an Instagram story asking private companies to sponsor her.

“It is okay to ask sponsorship sa mga private companies towards Tokyo 2020? Hirap na hirap na ako, I need financial support.” Diaz said.

“Sa tingin niyo ba okay lang kaya nahihiya kasi ako pero try ko kapalan mukha ko para sa minimithi kong pangarap para sa atin bansa na maiuwi ang Gold Medal sa Olympics,” she added.

However, PSC said that they’re in full support of Diaz citing that the weightlifter receives PHP48,000-month allowance, housing and food, coach and foreign training allowance.

Last year, PSC revealed that Diaz received a total of P3-M from the government.

Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno responded on Senator Leila De Lima’s statement, warning him about the possible human rights violation he committed because of presenting suspected lawbreakers in media.

During a press conference, Moreno insisted that he’s doing what is right and denied that he’s parading the suspects for publicity.

“Una walang parada, ang parada ho ay sa Luneta… hindi naman ho sila pinaparada. I respect her views… she’s entitled to it any citizens of the country you’re entitled to your opinion,” Moreno said.

“But for the meantime, me being a Mayor of Manila I have my obligation to keep Manila clear of lawbreakers because we owe it to the people of Manila,” he added.

Moreno explained that the suspects are already shameless so it’s useless to shame them in public.

He said that he’s only presenting the suspects to the public so the people would know that they’re doing their best to catch the lawbreakers alive.

The Mayor also vowed that he would prioritize the human rights of the innocent civilians who only wanted to be safe.

“Nahihiya ba kayo sa ginagawa nila? Kung kayo ang magulang nito? Eh sila hindi nahihiya eh, kita niyo nga inaalagaan ko pa yung pagkakakilanlan nila sa mata ng publiko, pero kailangan makita ng taga Maynila na may warm body,” he said.

“Puwede tayong usapang laway lang pero kung nakikita niyo talaga, hindi ba ito magbibigay ng kapanatagan ng inyong kalooban? Hindi ba ito patunay na seryoso ang Lungsod ng Maynila? Violation of human rights eh paano yung human rights ng gusto matulog ng mahimbing? diba may human rights din naman kayo?” he added.

He mentioned again that the police also have the right to defend themselves if the suspects try to resist them.

“Kung kayo ay malalagay sa alanganin at mahal niyo pa ang inyong buhay ay maipagtatangol niyo naman ang inyong sarili habang pinapatupad ninyo ang batas,” he said.

“So balancing lang yan, hindi po ito popularity contest. This is [about] keeping our city clean of bad elements, basta po kami nakikisuyo lang po kami sa kanila… kami po ay kailangan ng tulong sa Maynila, sana ay tulungan nalang nila kami sa Maynila dahil mamamayan din naman kami ng bansa,” he also said.

De Lima, in a statement, suggested to Moreno to avoid stop “parading” the suspects in front of media because they have the right to presumption of innocence.

“Pinapaalala lang natin sa kanya na ang pagparada ng suspect ay labag sa batas sa karapatang pantao,” said De Lima.

Senator Leila De Lima warned Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno to avoid presenting suspected lawbreakers in the media because it’s against the human rights.

In a statement, De Lima said that she appreciated the efforts of the Manila City Mayor in cleaning up his city against lawbreakers, however, she reminded Moreno that suspects still have their constitutional right to presumption of innocence.

According to her, despite the fact that Moreno allowed suspects to hide their faces, some media personalities and people who are present in every press conference held by the City Government of Manila could still possibly see and identify them.

“Kahanga-hanga ang ginagawang mga hakbang ni Mayor Isko sa paglinis ng Maynila, kasama na ang pagsugpo ng krimidalidad. Pinapaalala lang natin sa kanya na ang pagparada ng suspect ay labag sa batas sa karapatang pantao,” she said.

“Nakita po natin ang pagsisikap ni Mayor Isko na patalikurin ang mga nasabing suspek at maitago ang kanilang mukha. Gayumpaman, naiharap pa rin sila sa mga kawani ng media at mga taong naroon,” she added.

However, De Lima praised Moreno for not following the “tokhang-style” which became popular when President Rodrigo Duterte became the chief executive.

De Lima released the said statement after Moreno presented 35 suspects caught in different operations by the Philippine National Police (PNP).

The Senator who’s also a critic of the Duterte administration is known for promoting human rights, she’s also the former chairperson of Commission on Human Rights (CHR).

During her term as CHR chair, De Lima urged the PNP to stop presenting the suspects in public.

Meanwhile, the Manila City Legal Office defended Moreno’s action, mentioning that the PNP Reorganization Act of 1998 and DILG Reorganization Act of 1990 where the mayors have “operational supervision and control” of PNP units in their areas.

One of the parents who attended the hearing regarding missing minors who are alleged recruited by leftists groups became emotional while narrating how her child became so different after she participated in activism.

During the hearing on Wednesday, Relissa Lucena said that she received the letter from the leftist group where her missing daughter joined.

“Maaring mga magulang nga kayo pero tandaan niyo na dumaan lang siya sa inyo at hindi niyo siya pag-aari. Pwede niyo silang palakihin at mahalin dahil responsibilidad niyo iyon pero hindi pwedeng hulmahin at pilitin maging tulad niyo. Kung hindi niyo siya makilala ngayon, ikaw misis, siguradong hindi niya rin nakilala pa,” Lucena said while reading the comments emotionally.

“Wala kang pinagkaiba sa militar at nag paggamit ka sa kanila. Tama ang sinabi ni Rizal na, “Ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan”, kasi paano ang mga matatandang hukluban na katulad niyo ang pag-asa kung nagpapagamit kayo sa militar na walang ginawa kundi ang pumatay at sambahin si Duterte,” she added.

Another member from the leftist group also made a comment against another parent of the missing student Luisa Espina, telling them that they don’t own their child anymore.

“Ang inyong mga anak ay hindi niyo na mga anak, sila ang mga anak na lalaki at babae na magnanais ng buhay sa sarili. Dumaan sila sayo pero hindi mula sayo, at kahit na kasama ka pa nila ay kabilang sila hindi sa iyo bagkus kasama sila sa isang lipunan,” Lucena reads.

After reading the letter, Lucena started crying saying that she couldn’t understand why the leftist groups are not thinking of the suffering of the parents who worked hard just to give a better life for their children.

“Kami yung nagpalaki, kami nag aruga tapos ginamit yung anak namin sa politika,”

Lucena is only one of the four parents who attended the hearing to recount how the leftist groups like Anakbayan, League of Filipino Students and Kabataan took their children away.

The spokesperson of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Celine Pialago filed a formal complaint against ABS-CBN reporter Doris Bigornia for showing a rude behavior towards her.

According to the complaint of Pialago which sent to ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs Division Head Ging Reyes, the senior reporter was struck unintentionally by the MMDA spokesperson during a fire drill in Makati City hall.

Despite the apology of Pialago, Bigornia started to show rude behavior and even hurt her during the confrontation.

There’s also an incident where Bigornia told her cameraman to avoid capturing Pialago in the video that they’re recording.

“si (MMDA) GM (Jojo Garcia) lang kukunan mo sa frame, ‘wag mong isama ‘yang katabi niya!” Bigornia said according to Pialago.

The MMDA spokesperson also claimed that Bigornia tried to destroy her image to other people.

A report from PEP.ph also said that the General Manager of MMDA Jojo Garcia tried to fix the relationship between Bigornia and Pialago, however, the reporter refused to say that she would not talk to an “unethical person”.

The recent behavior of Bigornia made her file a formal complaint to Ging Reyes, who vowed to investigate their reporter.

“If Miss Bigornia had any delicadeza, or actually, any sense of decency at all, she would not spread rumors inside our own office,” Pialago said.

This is not the first time that Doris Bigornia got investigated by her own network because of rude behavior.

In 2016, Bigornia faced a complaint from a reporter of GMA in Davao City during the campaign period for the presidential election.

“Our DMNG Engineer Al Lim Ramz politely told you to excuse yourself from our camera since you became an eyesore to my live report. Mr. Bong Go and I were on cam, but you immediately scolded him and even told him “sapakin kita”. Seniel wrote in his open letter in 2016.

“I don’t care who you are, yes you are Doris Bigornia of ABS CBN, nauna kayo sa amin sa media, hindi pa ako nakarating sa trabaho na ito, napapanood na kita sa TV.” he added.

The Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) vowed to file administrative cases against their professors who are requiring their students to join rallies against the government.

During the sidelines of the Senate hearing on missing minors who allegedly recruited by organizations linked with the communist movement on Wednesday, PUP president Emanuel de Guzman said that they’re ready to punish their educators if they are proven encouraging students to join demonstrations.

“If proven, administrative cases will be filed against them. They will no longer be qualified to teach in PUP,” de Guzman said.

The President of PUP said that he would support the government in stopping the recruitments of the leftist groups like KABATAAN and ANAKBAYAN that caused the students to leave their homes in an early age to join the communist movement.

De Guzman also apologized to the parents of the missing students, saying that he’s not aware of that the communists operate in their university.

“Ako po ay nag-a-apologize sa kanila dahil ‘yung mga anak nila na nasa PUP ay na-recruit kahit na ito ay labag sa aming kalooban. But we cannot commit that 100 percent, this would not happen. We are hoping this will not happen again,” he said.

“Ang PUP, kahit noon pang panahon ng martial law ay lugar na ng mga aktibista, pero maliit na minorya lamang sila sa aming malaking populasyon. Unti-unti nang lumiliit ang bilang dahil naglagay na kami ng reporma,” he added.

Senator Ronald Dela Rosa also said that he got a complaint that a professor in the University of the Philippines Cebu is requiring his students to attend rallies against the government in exchange of passing grades.

“Teachers leading their students astray, communists allowed to recruit inside the school grounds, we should not tolerate that,” the senator said.

The said hearing was attended by the mothers of the missing children who were senior high school students in PUP, Far Eastern University and the University of the East Manila.

According to them, their children were recruited to join Anakbayan, Kabataan, and League of Filipino Students.

Mayor Isko Moreno expressed utter disappointment after he caught a member of the Manila Traffic And Parking Bureau (MTPB) allegedly having a settlement with a bus driver Tuesday.

Moreno who’s walking along Liwasang Bonifacio caught the MTPB officer allegedly talking with the traffic violator inside the bus which is not the proper process of ticketing.

The Mayor believed that the MTPB officer had a settlement with the driver as the bus allowed to escape the area immediately.

Because of his anger, Moreno fired the traffic enforcer on the spot and asked his staff to confiscate the ID and the ticket of the latter.

“O pahinga ka na… ayaw niyong magtino ha,” Moreno told the traffic enforcer.

According to Moreno, the place where he saw the traffic enforcer is a known illegal terminal and the said bus driver is driving without any license.

After catching the bus, Moreno ordered his staff to impound the vehicle.

Moreno also confronted the bus driver and the conductor giving them a firm warning about what they did.

However, the Mayor let the bus conductor go home, while the bus driver was told the Moreno to go to the City Hall to get his license.

“Sumunod kayo sa alituntunin at makakapag hanap buhay kayo ng maayos,” Moreno said.

Mayor Isko Moreno said that he’s planning to stay in Manila City for ten years because he wanted to complete the long term plan for the Manilenyos.

In an interview at the Senate Building, Moreno said that he’s not planning to run for a higher position in the 2022 Presidential Election, asking the people to have mercy on him.

Because of his popularity, Moreno has been eyed by some netizens as one of the strongest candidates for the Presidency in 2022.

However, the Mayor said that he would focus on Manila first in three consecutive terms to fulfill his long term plan.

“May awa ang Diyos, in the next 10 years… our goal is 10 years not three years ha, yung mga nag po-post sa Facebook na three years ay may mangyayari na sa akin… maawa kayo sa akin, h’wag niyo akong ipakain sa buwaya,” Moreno told the press.

“One way or another, I owe it to Manila and I think masyado na kaming napag iiwanan. I’m just starting kaya h’wag po kayong mag iisip ng kahit ano pa man about what’s going on in Manila is because there is something going to happen in 2022… No please, tigilan niyo na yun,” he added.

Moreno when asked the media also said that he’s not yet satisfied with what he did in Manila because he’s only managing the City for 1 month and 7 days, still too far from his goal of 10 years of being the Mayor.

“Malayo pa sa katotohanan, nagsisimula palang kami,” he said.

In another interview, Moreno said that his 10-year plan was focused on tourism, traffic, and health.

“Hindi ‘yan ikinaila sa mga taga-Maynila… pinaliwanag ko sa tao, ‘Wag ho kayong maiinip ha. Sampung taon ho ito mangyayari,’” Moreno said.