FORMER third district Councilor Bernie ‘Yantao’ Ang, who is now Mayor Isko Moreno’s Secretary to the Mayor, is expressing dismay over how some quarters have been desperately trying to destroy the good relations that Moreno had built over the years with the members of the Chinese-Filipino community.
According to Sec. Bernie Ang, there are those who are totally busy with twisting whatever Mayor Isko says, no matter how incredulous the intrigue may sound.
In a recent pronouncement, Mayor Isko blurted out an irked comment when asked for his reaction on the aggressive stance of some Chinese authorities who drove away some of our fishermen from the West Philippine Sea.
It was clear even in his subsequent interviews, that the negative remark made by the good mayor was directed at the Chinese mainlanders. Just the same, desperate efforts were made to make it appear that Mayor Isko was actually attacking the Chinese-Filipinos.
As a Tsinoy himself, Sec. Ang said he can attest to the fact that the beloved mayor of Manila has the highest respect for Chinese-Filipinos otherwise, he will not be serving in his officialdom specially as the ‘little mayor.’
Their friendship, which began at the Manila City Council when Mayor Isko was still a first-term Tondo councilor and he a third district alderman, has spanned decades and during the entire time, Sec. Ang says there was not a single occasion that he saw from Moreno any form of disrespect toward him or any Tsinoy for that matter.
In fact, he said, he knows that Moreno has countless Tsinoy friends with whom he had maintained close ties over the past decades.
Even in the choice of city officials, Sec. Ang is not the only official in City Hall who belongs to the Chinese-Filipino community. There are plenty of them and all of them are being treated by Mayor Isko with high esteem.
Sec. Bernie cited another show of respect for the Tsinoys and even the Chinese in general long before the vaccines against COVID-19 came to the Philippines arrived in the country. This was when Mayor Isko would repeatedly announce that he would want to be vaccinated with the Chinese-made Sinovac once he becomes eligible for the shot based on the announcement of the national government regarding prioritization.
With this pronouncement, Mayor Isko showed one and all that he had total trust and confidence in the China-made vaccine while most of the Filipinos preferred US brands and the like.
Another proof of Moreno’s high regard for the Chinese, according to Sec. Ang, was when he was tasked by the mayor to coordinate with the China government and its embassy in the Philippines for the city government’s purchase of 400,000 Sinovac doses directly from China.
True enough, the country’s largest Chinatown is also located in Manila and it is also where a good number of Tsinoys reside and if Mayor Isko was ever disrespectful to them, they would have packed and left for another city.
Sec. Bernie said that Moreno never fails to acknowledge the role of Tsinoys in the city’s historical progress and also thank them for their continuing support and contribution to the city and its programs.
In fact, Ang said, Moreno had been showing his gratitude to various Tsinoy organizations and even individuals, for the outpouring of donations and other forms of help for Manilans since the start of this pandemic.
Intentionally taking what Mayor Isko says out of context to make him appear like a bad person is just foul and clearly, this is meant to derail his candidacy and create enemies for him, Ang adds.
Sec. Bernie says that the mayor is already like a son to him and as such, he would know if Moreno is being disrespectful or not. He is a hundred percent sure that Moreno would not insult or disrespect Tsinoys in whatever way or form, stressing it’s just not in his character.
The Secretary to the Mayor also expressed confidence that his fellow Tsinoys are smart enough to believe what he said is obviously part of a smear campaign to hurt Moreno’s Presidential run which, according to Sec. Ang, is heading for a sure win.
If it is any consolation, he says that the constant attacks on Moreno is a clear sign that he is a candidate to reckon with.
Jokjok (from Wilfredo Vasquez of Bacoor, Cavite)
JUAN: Pare, whats your biggest fantasy?
PEDRO: To be kissed by someone in the rain, how about you?
JUAN: To be that someone, pare.
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