Newly installed Manila Mayor Isko Moreno is taking his city by storm and has the whole Philippines watching in awe. A massive clean up drive cleared streets formerly occupied by vendors and peddlers was just the first salvo. His every speech now contains pearls of wisdom that would transform Manila to its old glory. There are also bits and pieces of his vision to feed school children, install solar panels in city buildings, convert trash to energy and strengthen disaster preparedness.

With Moreno doing all of the talking, one now wonders why few Metro Manila top city executives are visible to the public with the possible exception of newbie Mayor Vico Sotto of Pasig. Obviously Moreno comes as a breath of fresh air because in spite of the fact that on the national level President Duterte cleaned up Boracay and me-too projects like the Manila Bay and Pasig River clean ups had local government contributions, NCR mayors were, and still are, mum on massive projects with huge environmental impact.

Less than two weeks in office, Moreno is proving that change for the better can be achieved.

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