Asenso Manileño Movement (lit. transl. Progress for Manilans) is a local political party in Manila. It is the city's ruling party since 2019, being in dominion through the administrations of mayors Isko Moreno and Honey Lacuna.
History
The party was established in 2005 by Moreno's mentor, Danny Lacuna, the vice mayor of Manila at that time. The party's signature hand gesture is pointing the index finger upward which means "God first", the party's slogan. The party managed Moreno's successful vice mayoral campaign in the 2013 election, despite carrying then Mayor Joseph Estrada's United Nationalist Alliance ticket.[6] In 2018, Moreno decided to challenge Estrada for the mayoralty in the 2019 elections.[7] Moreno won the election and his allies then controlled a majority of seats in the Manila City Council.[6]
The National Unity Party then took on the party as its local affiliate in August 2019, with Moreno being named as one of its vice chairmen.[8] In 2021, the party changed its national affiliation to the progressive Aksyon Demokratiko with Moreno being named its national president.[5]
In the 2022 elections, the party attained a historic success. It won 34 of the 36 elective seats in the city council, as well as maintaining the mayoralty and vice mayoralty. Additionally, all six congressional elections were won by candidates allied with the party.
In 2024, incumbent Mayor Honey Lacuna succeeded Isko Moreno as party leader of Asenso Manileño after he left to pursue a comeback run for mayor in 2025, which was later confirmed.[9] Lacuna later joined the Lakas–CMD and formalized her re-election bid for mayor in 2025, eventually running against Moreno and 9 others.[10][11]
