Team Isko political and campaign strategist Lito Banayo maintained that Doc Willie Ong is the only running-mate and vice presidential candidate of Aksyon Demokratiko standard bearer Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso.
Banayo issued the statement even as he admitted it was his personal decision not to bring Ong with the team in their provincial sorties in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), especially in Maguindanao where the Mangudadatus have openly declared their preference for an Isko Moreno-Sara Duterte tandem.
“That was my call. That was my decision. Whenever you make sorties or campaign trips, you send an advance team, normally, four or five days beforehand, even a week beforehand. They called me up and they said, ‘Boss, all the tarpaulins and streamers here are Isko-Sara,’” Banayo told ANC.
“So I called up Doc Willie, and I said, Doc, maybe it’s better if you don’t come to Mindanao because I don’t want to put you in an embarrassing situation where the tarpaulins there are Isko-Sara,” Banayo added.
Banayo said that while Domagoso is being paired with another vice presidential candidate, the Manila city mayor did not say anything about supporting Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio for vice president.
“He (Domagoso) didn’t say he was supporting Sara at all. He didn’t say that at all. But there in Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat, they also didn’t say anything, the speakers, the major power blocs, They also didn’t say Isko-Sara,” Banayo said.
Domagoso on Monday maintained he is still campaigning for Ong even if several local politicians have endorsed him in tandem with a different candidate.
Meanwhile, Domagoso vowed that if he is elected president in May 9 elections, his administration will continue to support the Bangsamoro government to sustain its momentum towards long-lasting peace and provide its people with the minimum basic needs – housing, hospitals and schools.
He made the assurance after paying a courtesy call to the officials of the BARMM transition government led by Interim Chief Minister Murad Ebrahim.