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Incumbent Manila Mayor Isko Moreno posted on Facebook a photo of him with ex-president and former Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada during a wedding event over the weekend.

The photo shows the two former allies-turned-political rivals smiling and shaking hands in front of the camera.

“Akin pong ikinagalak nang sa isang kasalan ay muli kong nakatagpo ang dating alkalde ng Maynila, si dating pangulong Joseph 'Erap' Estrada,” Moreno wrote on Facebook last Saturday, February 20.

“Kinumusta ko po siya, at kinumusta rin niya po ako. Ako po ay nagalak sa kanyang mabuting kalusugan lalo na sa panahong ito ng pandemya.

“Yan din naman po ang panalangin ko para sa lahat ng mga Batang Maynila at mga Pilipino, ang manatiling ligtas sa pandemya at anumang karamdaman lalo na sa panahong ito.

“Kay dating Pangulong Erap, God bless you po. Stay healthy and safe.”

From partners to foes

The cordial meeting was a far cry from the animosity displayed by both parties following Moreno's victory in the 2019 midterm election.

Moreno and Estrada often traded criticisms in the media, hitting on each other's perceived shortcomings in governing the country's capital.

Immediately after assuming office, Moreno disparaged his predecessor's practices and governing style, saying that the past administration “failed in managing the city.”

Estrada, for his part, lambasted Moreno's drive to clear Manila of illegal vendors to address the problem of road obstruction and bribery schemes.

The former president, who served as Manila mayor from 2013 to 2019, called the campaign “anti-poor” and contested that such actions would deprive struggling families of their livelihood.

"Ilang taon na akong naging mayor--sa San Juan, sa Maynila--naging presidente pa ako,” Estrada said in a radio interview.

“Madali 'yan iutos, pero titingnan mo rin kapakanan ng kapwa tao mo, lalo na yung mga mahihirap.”

Moreno shrugged off the accusation, saying that the clear-up operation was legal and that roads and sidewalks are designed for motorists and the public to use undisturbed.

The exchange of criticisms between the two cooled down last year as everyone's attention shifted to the pandemic.

Before the rivalry, Estrada and Moreno were allies, winning as mayor and vice-mayor of Manila, respectively, in the 2013 election.

Reports said that Estrada promised his running mate that he would only serve for one term to pave the way for Moreno's mayoral bid.

Estrada, however, reneged on that promise prompting Moreno to split with the former president.

“Hindi mo na ko makakaloko ng dalawahan, makakaisa ka na lang,” Moreno said against Estrada during a proclamation rally on March 30, 2019.

Estrada's camp, on the other hand, called Moreno an “ingrate” for contesting Estrada's bid for a fresh term.

But all of that appears water under the bridge now based on Moreno and Estrada's weekend chance meeting photo.

Before he ascended to politics, Isko Moreno was an actor and one of the many discoveries of the late host and star-builder, German “Kuya Germs” Moreno. Take a look at the other celebrities that Kuya Germs took under his wing and nurtured in this gallery: