Manila mayoral candidate Alex Lopez has belied accusations that the sale of Divisoria market was the idea of his deceased father.
Lopez said the allegation of Asenso Manilenyo, which dragged the name of his late father, is not only distasteful but also lowers the political discourse in the city of Manila.
“It is sad to think that Asenso Manilenyo’s statements are pure deception about the sale of Manila city properties. Other major cities, have never sold their assets to augment their budgets for COVID-19 response. The sale of the Divisoria Public Market was used to salvage their slippery grip on power, with no regard to people honestly seeking livelihood,” Lopez said.
“I will not allow anyone to besmirch the name of my dead father who served the people of Tondo and the City of Manila in various capacities faithfully and with complete honesty and dignity during difficult and often tumultuous times,” he added.
Manila Mayor and presidential aspirant Francisco Isko Moreno Domagoso earlier revealed that it was not him who “exposed the city government [to] a very gravely disadvantageous situation.”
“As much as possible I have my utmost respect to those who already perished, but the data will show that it’s his father who did it to expose the city government [to] a very gravely disadvantageous situation,” said Domagoso, who did not name names in a chance interview in Gingoong, Misamis Oriental.
Lopez said Asenso Manilenyo’s accusation against his father, Mel Lopez, was impossible because the elder Lopez served as mayor from 1986 to 1992, and followed by many other administrations.