Mayor Isko returns Duterte's praise, says he's an inspiration

Manila Mayor Isko Moreno was quick to return the kind words of President Rodrigo Duterte, who praised him for his "resolve" and for being "better than me."

In a statement, Moreno said Duterte was one of his inspirations in public service.

"Thank you for the kind words, Mr. President, but to be really honest, isa po kayo sa mga naging inspirasyon ko sa kung ano mang klase ng liderato na meron kami," he said.

"So I think kung ano man ang nakikita nating pagpupursige ng mga alkalde sa buong Pilipinas, hindi lang po ako, ay reflection lamang ng klase ng liderato at Pangulo na meron tayo," he added.

In a visit in Davao, Moreno recalled strictly following the city's no smoking policy.

"Di naman po lingid sa kaalaman ng karamihan, lalong lalo na ‘yung mga taga-Maynila na ako po ay naninigarilyo. Pero kapag nasa Davao City po ako, takot na takot po akong manigarilyo dahil alam ko pong huhulihin ako," he said.

He added, "In fact, there was one time, galing po kami ng Tagum, pabalik ng Davao City. Medyo dis oras na ng gabi, pero biglang bumagal po ang takbo ng sasakyan namin so tinanong namin ‘yung driver kung bakit. Simple lang yung sagot nya. "Kasi po nasa Davao City na tayo. Kahit gabi ho dito, may pulis man o wala, sumusunod kami sa batas trapiko."

"As I always say, it is not the severity of the punishment itself, but the certainty of getting caught that deters a person from committing a crime," Moreno said.

"So we owe it to you Mr. President, for inspiring us and for becoming a good example to all of us," Moreno added.

Earlier, Duterte heaped praises on the Manila mayor, saying he has watched him speak and believes he is better than him.

"Bilib ako sa kanya. Kaya nanonood ako noong nagsasalita siya. Mas mahusay siya keysa akin, sa totoo lang," Duterte on Tuesday night during an interview with Malacañang reporters.

"Mas mahusay ang resolve niya kaysa akin," Duterte added. —Joviland Rita/LDF, GMA News