MAYOR Isko Moreno turns 46 on October 24, Saturday, with a wish for the pandemic to go away, as well as the continued support and cooperation of Manilans and for them to become self-sufficient in the nearest time possible.
His birthday celebration kicks off Friday with a series of visits to foster care institutions catering to the homeless, unwanted, people with special needs, orphans and abandoned children and elderly.
Moreno will be joined by his son, Joaquin, who was born on the same date and who turns 19 today.
Joaquin is also a showbiz personality.
Their birthday activities will begin with a trip to the Manila Boys’ Town Complex in Marikina, where over 1,300 senior citizens and children are being cared of by the Manila department of social welfare under Re Fugoso.
From there, Moreno and his son will go to other similar institutions in Manila, namely, the Hospicio de San Jose in San Miguel and the Asociacion De Damas De Filipinas, Inc. in Paco.
Hospicio, a Catholic institution, is the first social welfare agency in the country while Damas is under the DSWD and provides residential care services to children who need special care.
The two will then cap the day with a visit to the two facilities put up by the city government for the purpose of accommodating the homeless who were gathered in the streets at the onset of the pandemic, located at the Rasac and Canonigo covered courts located in Sta. Cruz and Paco, respectively.
The said facilities are also under the supervision of Fugoso, who said the presence of the mayor will definitely make their wards happy, boost their morale and reaffirm the city government’s commitment to care for them.
The father-and-son birthday celebrators will be bringing food packs and drinks to the wards of the said welfare institutions numbering at least 2,000 in all.
Moreno said he and his son have been planning the activities for quite some time already and they simply want to paint smiles on the faces of those who have less in life, specially in the middle of the pandemic.
Having been a product of poverty himself, Moreno said he feels so blessed and thankful to God and would want to pay it forward and this is what he had been teaching his children too, “for them to appreciate all the blessings that come their way and do good deeds to others, specially those who have less in life.”
Moreno is known for eating ‘pagpag’ (leftover chicken) which he collects as a scavenger from the garbage bin of a popular food chain, brings them home and then recooks them in the hope that the heat would kill the germs or bacteria in the food.
Thus, Moreno said he and his son will be treating each of the wards with his favorite meal — two-piece chicken with rice and drinks.
