InterAksyon.com
The online news portal of TV5
MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE - 4:58 p.m.) A day after moving to a house in Sampaloc, Manila from San Juan City, former President Joseph Estrada officially registered as a Manila voter at the Commission on Elections, cementing his intent to run for mayor of the capital city.
Estrada personally went to the Comelec’s Arroceros office to register Thursday morning, in a process that took about 30 minutes -- filing up forms, and having his fingerprints taken.
He was with Vice-Mayor Isko Moreno and other councilors.
Estrada said Wednesday that should he run, it would be with Moreno, to whom he said he intended to turn over the reins of the city after one year.
Meanwhile, incumbent Manila Mayor, Alfredo Lim, has not yet released any comments or statements about the upcoming mayoral race.
On Wednesday evening, Estrada and wife, former senator Loi Ejercito, spent the night in their new house -- actually, an old, stately house in Altura Street. The transfer is to comply with election rules requiring candidates to be residents of the area they seek to represent for at least one year before the polls.
In an interview with Martin Andanar over Radyo Singko's "Punto Asintado," Estrada said: “I’ll dedicate my remaining years to Manila.”
“'Yung aking huling mga taon, habang ako’y nabubuhay, ay inaalay ko na sa kapakanan ng mga ating mga kababayang kapos-palad diyan sa Maynila (My remaining years, while I live, I offer to the interests of our poor citizens of Manila),” he said.
He said Manila has always been dear to him because he was born in Tondo district and it was also in the city where he began his acting career.
He added that the masses of Manila had always supported him in his political career.
In fact, he said, it was Manilenos who pushed him to run for mayor of the city.
Estrada said Manila has been left behind in terms of progress by other cities, a problem he intends to address these problems by prioritizing programs like beautification and improving peace and order.
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