Isko Moreno legacy: Housing, education, healthcare still benefit people today
Isko Moreno
MANILA, Philippines — Even at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Manila City government under former Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso successfully delivered high-impact legacy infrastructure projects in housing, education, and healthcare—transformations that continue to benefit Manileños today.
Speaking at the “Meet the Manila Press” forum, the former mayor highlighted his legacy to “make Manila great again,” stressing that “we’ve done it before, and we can do it again.”
Vertical Housing Program
Domagoso’s legacy projects include the City Vertical Housing Program, which provided affordable and decent housing to informal settlers and low-income families.
These projects included Tondominium 1, Tondominium 2, Binondominium 1, San Lazaro Residence, San Sebastian Residence, and Pedro Gil Residence—all inspired by Singapore’s public housing model under Lee Kuan Yew.
“Kung wala kang bahay, halimbawa nangungupahan ka, meron kang chance to avail the program at sa loob mismo ng siyudad,” he explained.
Robust Healthcare Infrastructure
Under his leadership, the former mayor’s administration was able to build the new Ospital ng Maynila, a 10-storey, fully air-conditioned public hospital designed to provide quality healthcare services to the city’s residents.
The new hospital has a 384-bed capacity to accommodate more patients, 12 intensive care units (ICUs) for critical care, and 20 private rooms for specialized patient needs.
“Naitayo natin ito para matiyak na hindi lang mayayaman ang may access sa dekalidad na serbisyong medikal,” Domagoso emphasized.
However, Domagoso lamented the delayed opening of Baseco Hospital under the current administration. The facility, built under the former administration, remains unused to this day.
“Nalulungkot lang tayo kasi three years ago pa lang tapos na yung Baseco Hospital, pero hindi pa bukas hanggang ngayon,” he said, vowing to reopen it if given the chance to return to office.
Modern Public Schools
Domagoso also made education a top priority, allocating over P5 billion to modernize public schools and improve learning conditions for students.
A significant portion of this budget was used to construct and upgrade three major schools: Manila Science High School, Dr. A. Albert Elementary School, and Rosario Almario Elementary School.
These schools were redesigned with state-of-the-art facilities, ensuring that students receive quality education in a comfortable learning environment.
“Dati, nagkakansela tayo ng klase dahil sa ulan. Ngayon, dahil sa init. Pero sa ginawa nating mga paaralan, lahat air-conditioned,” Domagoso said, emphasizing the importance of weather-proof learning spaces.
