MANILA - Simple acts of discipline will make Manila great again, the capital's Mayor Isko Moreno said Friday, as the young leader sought to bring back the vibrance of one of the country’s oldest cities blighted by decades of neglect.

Moreno urged Manileños to follow simple rules like avoiding jaywalking and littering, saying he cannot solve all of the city’s problems without the public’s cooperation.

“Let me handle other problems. but don’t give me or add up to the smallest problems in this community,” Moreno said in a speech during the founding anniversary celebration of the Philippine General Hospital.

“If we help each other - all of us - then Manila will be vibrant again, then Manila will be great again, then Manila, all of us during our time, we can prove to this world that Manila is the Paris of the east.”

Moreno, 44, beat then incumbent Manila mayor Joseph Estrada in the May polls, putting an end to one of the country’s most enduring political dynasties.

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LOOK: Manila Mayor Isko Moreno poses for a selfie with PGH employees @ABSCBNNews pic.twitter.com/3wWdGH6jSC

— Dharel Placido (@dgplacido) August 16, 2019

Since assuming office, Moreno has sought to clean up the city and impose discipline on citizens, hosing down a grimy monument and clearing roads clogged with vendors and illegal structures, earning him praise from fellow government officials, diplomats, and the public.