(PNA file photo) MANILA-Aksyon Demokratiko standard bearer Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso will be holding his "miting de avance" in Moriones, Tondo on Saturday as a way of showing his gratitude to friends, neighbors, and residents in the area where he started his journey as a public servant. "Utang na loob ko sa mga tiga-Tondo kung nasaan man ako sa mundo ng public service. Doon ako nagsimula, doon ko tatapusin yung laban. I started there (as a councilor) and I'll end (my presidential campaign) there. Yun man sukli ko na maibigay sa mga tiga-Tondo. Yun ang reason behind. Gusto ko man lang makita nila(I owe everything to Tondo where I started my career in public service. I started my journey there, and that is the place I will end my fight. I started there [as councilor] and I'll end my presidential campaign there]. That will be my gratitude to those residents in Tondo, that is the reason behind that. I want them to see that)," he said during a town hall meeting in Barangay Mambaling in Cebu City Wednesday night. This is in response to questions on why he chose Tondo as the place to end his 90-day presidential campaign and what was the possible symbolism behind it. Tondo is known for being one of the poorest and most underdeveloped areas in the country. Many of the city's slums are found in this area and it is also the location of the notorious but now closed landfill, the infamous Smokey Mountain. "Moriones kasi yun ang common eh. Madaling masakyan ng jeep yung northern part ng Tondo. Kung dito naman sa southern part ng Tondo, pwede mo naman lakarin yun pa-Zaragoza. Malapit yan sa sentro kasi, yung ginawa nating garden (Moriones is a common area. jeeps can easily reach the northern part of Tondo. If you are going in the southern part of Tondo, you can walk towards Zaragoza. Moriones is near the center, that's why we transformed it into a garden)," Domagoso said. The presidential aspirant said he is still confident of winning the presidential race this May 9 due to his strong faith in God. At the same time, Domagosa said it is not too late for the public to put an end to the infighting between the Marcoses and Aquinos by voting for another candidate who will give them peace of mind by addressing the real problems confronting Filipinos -- unemployment, high cost of electricity and fuel, rising prices of basic commodities, inequality and injustice, among others. He said these things will also be done for the people of Cebu if they and the rest of the country elect him as the next president of the country. The Aksyon. Demokratiko presidential bet also took the opportunity to thank the people of Mambaling for the warm reception they extended to him and the rest of his slate despite the short notice given to them about their visit to the area. Domagoso's life has been an open book as he and his late Nanay Chayong lived as informal settlers in the slums of Tondo, Manila. Working as a "basurero," the young Isko knew what it was to be dirt poor. But his being poor did not become a hindrance to his going to school and finishing high school. After he became councilor in 1998, Domagoso followed the advice of his mentor and second father Vice Mayor Danny Lacuna and finished college which he did six years later. When he became mayor in 2019, Isko's major projects focused on mass housing for the poor of Manila, building modern and fully-equipped hospitals that are affordable and building public schools for the benefit of school children. These Domagoso accomplished amid the Covid-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic which saw Mayor Isko giving boxes of "ayuda" to Manila residents, free Covid-19 swab tests, and continuous mass vaccination to both residents and non-residents of the city. (PNA) }