Moreno is widely regarded as one of the top-performing local chief executives in the Philippines; he has described his leadership style as akin to that of his predecessor Alfredo Lim, citing their shared commitment to reducing crime and maintaining cleanliness of the capital.

[20] Born and raised in the slums of Tondo, Manila where he was once nicknamed as "Scott",[23] Moreno spent his childhood in poverty: at age 10, he made a living as a waste picker, as well as drove a passenger pedicab and rummaged through restaurant garbage bins for leftover food that his mother would recook for dinner.

[22][31] Moreno's big break came in when he was cast in a minor role in the 1993 romantic movie May Minamahal and became a leading man to Claudine Barretto in Muntik na Kitang Minahal a year later.

[33] In 2005, during his third term as a councilor of Manila, he returned to acting, portraying a kind-hearted priest in the television drama series Mga Anghel na Walang Langit, in a supporting role.

[42] After receiving criticism from other members of the city council especially for being a high school graduate, his mentor, then-Vice Mayor Danilo "Danny" Lacuna, encouraged him to study while fulfilling his duties.

[45] Moreno eventually won the elections, beating his closest rival by about 80,000 votes; however, Lacuna lost to Senator and former Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim of the Liberal Party.

[55] Estrada drove his "Jeep ni Erap" from San Juan to his new house at Altura Street, Sampaloc, Manila (near Santa Mesa), to ceremonially launch his candidacy.

[6][7] On February 16, 2013, months before the election, police arrested and detained Moreno and five other councilors due to alleged bingo operations held in a public place and a lack of permit.

In his defense, Moreno said there is no law that requires anyone to obtain a permit from the local government unit if the bingo games were intended purely for entertainment purposes, especially when being done in a private, gated compound.

In his counter-affidavit that was received by COMELEC in October 2020, Moreno said his declared spending was a "simple and honest oversight" due to variances and un-reconciled accounts, and the mistake was in good faith.

[110][115][112] Payment obtained from the sale of Divisoria market was used for erecting Manila COVID-19 Field Hospital and 12 quarantine facilities, housing projects, procurement of antiviral medicines, and food packs for the city's 700,000 households.

Moreno also said some of the vendors and representatives of Divisoria Public Market Credit Cooperative may have been manipulated by Lopez to spread black propaganda and sensationalize the issue for personal interests.

[116][117][118][112] On February 3, 2021, the city government of Manila, headed by Moreno, acquired a 6,003-square-meter (64,620 sq ft) private lot worth ₱111 million located at Pasig Line in San Andres through Ordinance No.

[120][16] In March 2022, Moreno met with representatives of Elon Musk's SpaceX to negotiate a contract for the acquisition of Starlink's low Earth orbit satellite broadband internet system for the City of Manila.

[123] On March 10, 2020, the Government of the United Kingdom invited Moreno to attend sessions on proper COVID-19 response; he met with the UK's coronavirus task force officials in London.

[128] On March 18, Moreno ordered all lodging facilities in Manila to provide free accommodations for front-line health workers such as doctors and nurses throughout the period of enhanced community quarantine.

[136] On April 6, 2020, Moreno announced he and several other government officials in the city would donate their salaries to Philippine General Hospital to increase its financial capability amid the pandemic.

[137] The Manila city government partnered with the Department of Agriculture to launch the Kadiwa Rolling Store project, a mobile farmers' market that sold fresh products to residents during the closure of retail establishments due to the enhanced community quarantine.

[144][145] Manila became the first local government unit in the country to procure anti-COVID-19 medicines such as Molnupiravir, Remdesivir, Tocilizumab, Baricitinib, and Bexovid for aged 12 and above, all of which prevents mild to moderate cases from progressing into severe diseases.

[158][159] President Rodrigo Duterte echoed Moreno's initiative, ordering the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to "reclaim all public roads that are being used for private ends".

43 mandating all 896 barangays and frontline City Hall offices to conduct a weekly clean-up drive[161] in support of Duterte's directive to clear all public roads and sidewalks of obstructions.

[166][167][168] On September 22, 2021, Moreno declared himself a candidate for President of the Philippines in the 2022 election, with physician and social-media personality Willie Ong serving as his vice presidential running mate.

program"; allowing the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN; lowering excise tax on fuel and utility costs,[170] reviving micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSME), which were severely affected by COVID-19 lockdowns;[171] increasing labor and employment;[171] additional public housing;[171] boosting development of agriculture,[171] tourism, and creative industries;[171] strengthening of policies in healthcare and education;[171] infrastructure development in rural areas;[171] developing of economic hubs outside Metro Manila;[171] digital transformation and industry 4.0;[171] strengthening of law and order;[171] continuing the Duterte administration's anti-drug policy in a "more humane approach";[172] good and smart electronic governance;[171] maintaining peaceful relations with other countries and international organizations; and ending divisive politics in favor of an "open governance" rooted in "competence" over "connections".

[178][179] Despite the absence of official announcements about his political plans, Moreno has a high probability of winning a Senate seat in the 2025 midterm polls, according to a commissioned survey conducted by Pulse Asia from March 6-10, 2024.

[185] During his first retirement from politics, Moreno debuted his new weekly web talk show, Iskovery Night, in January 2023 under his new venture, Scott Media Productions based in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

[197] This event prompted Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr., spokesperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, to ask whether Moreno was welcoming terrorists into Manila.

8695 protecting members of the LGBT community from all forms of discrimination and abuse, including the denial of employment and other opportunities on the basis of the person's sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression.

According to Moreno, China needs to accept a 2016 arbitration award of the Hague ruling that made clear the Philippines' entitlements, including where it can fish and exploit offshore oil and gas, also citing the Velarde map as reference.

Moreno is also known for his streetwise image and his frequent use of Manila street slang, even in media interviews, to engage the masses—especially young adults—earning him the alias "Yorme"[a] when he assumed office as city mayor in 2019.

[244] Moreno cites Lee Kuan Yew, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., and Ferdinand Marcos's approach to infrastructure projects as his inspirations in the field of governance.