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Isko on campaign chief's 'coward' tag vs Marcos: 'He is entitled to his own opinion'

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Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News

SANTIAGO CITY - Aksyon Demokratiko standard bearer Isko Moreno Domagoso on Friday declined to comment on his campaign manager&#x27;s statement that presidential frontrunner and former Sen. Ferdinand &quot;Bongbong&quot; Marcos Jr. is a &quot;coward&quot; for skipping debates and interviews.&quot;He is entitled to his opinion,&quot; Domagoso told reporters when asked if he agrees with the statement of Lito Banayo, his campaign manager and chief strategist.&quot;&#x27;Yung opinion niya may be different from me. Karapatan niyang sabihin niya &#x27;yung pakiramdam niya (It is his right to say how he feels),&quot; he said.<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1951827" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>Banayo, in a press conference in Manila, said former dictator Ferdinand Marcos&#x27; son and namesake is a &quot;coward&quot; for refusing to attend debates and interviews where critical questions are expected to be raised.&quot;It is a show of cowardice on the part of Marcos Jr.,&quot; Banayo said.&quot;Kung hindi mo kayang harapin ang katotohnan, ang mga issue na pro o laban sa iyo, anong klase kang kandidato?&quot; he said.(What kind of candidate are you if you can&#x27;t face the truth and issues, whether they are pro o against you?)Domagoso, meanwhile, wooed voters in Cagayan Valley, a stronghold of the Marcos family for decades.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/04/22/isko-woos-solid-north-with-wit-as-team-launches-offensive-vs-bongbong">Isko woos &#x27;Solid North&#x27; with wit as team launches offensive vs Bongbong</a></li></ul>Aksyon Demokratiko may be engaging in a 2-pronged strategy to target both soft-Marcos supporters and soft-anti-Marcos supporters, said Arjan Aguirre, a political science professor from the Ateneo de Manila University.&quot;His visit to the &#x27;solid north&#x27; is meant to weaken the Marcos stronghold, while the media statements made in the capital by his handlers are meant to court the people who have access to mainstream media and social media,&quot; he said.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/02/22/22/isko-campaign-head-puzzled-by-marcos-popularity">Isko campaign head on Marcos popularity: ‘Sad commentary’ on PH electorate</a></li></ul>The Aksyon Demokratiko standard bearer said that he has not been coercing other members of his camp to share his views on all issues, but did not categorically answer if he subscribes to Banayo&#x27;s &quot;coward&quot; tag against Marcos Jr.&quot;What matters most is that &#x27;pag kami nagkakampaniya, nag-iikot, lahat sama-sama hanggat maaari, lahat cooperative. Happy na ako ng ganun,&quot; he said.(What matters most is that when we campaign, when we go around, all of us are present as much as possible, everybody is cooperating. I&#x27;m happy with just that.)&quot;Kapag personal na paniniwala ng tao, hindi ko na masyadong sinasaklawan pero pag maggogobyerno na tayo, panahon na ng serbisyo, we will be in synchrony,&quot; he said.(I don&#x27;t meddle so much when it comes to a person&#x27;s personal beliefs, but when it comes to governance, when it is time to serve, we will be in synchrony.)In Pulse Asia&#x27;s January 2022 survey, Domagoso shared the third spot with Sen. Manny Pacquiao, each getting 8 percent, while former Sen. Ferdinand &quot;Bongbong&quot; Marcos Jr. topped the polls with 60 percentage points.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/02/14/22/isko-camp-optimistic-survey-numbers-will-improve">Isko camp optimistic survey numbers will improve</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/02/15/22/marcos-lead-in-survey-comes-from-across-regions-pulse-asia">Marcos lead in survey comes from &#x27;across regions&#x27; - Pulse Asia</a></li></ul><div> </div>

Isko on campaign chief's 'coward' tag vs Marcos: 'He is entitled to his own opinion'

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Isko on campaign chief's 'coward' tag vs Marcos: 'He is entitled to his own opinion'

Katrina Domingo,

ABS-CBN News

Published March 04, 2022 04:33 PM PHT

Read More:

Isko Moreno

Lito Banayo

Bongbong Marcos

Aksyon Demokratiko

Halalan 2022

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