The heated debate between incumbent Manila mayor Alfredo Lim and former president Joseph Estrada in the “Umagang Harapan” segment of ABS-CBN’s morning show “Umagang Kay Ganda” became a hot topic and went viral online as netizens watched the intense word war that transpired between the two Manila mayoral candidates.

Erap and Lim traded barbs on national TV regarding their qualifications, capacity to maintain peace and order in the city, Estrada’s plunder conviction, and many more issues that drew cheers and jeers from the live audience at the studio. Erap was first to fire at Lim when he talked about the debt of the City of Manila to Meralco allegedly amounting to P872 million. Lim hit Estrada by highlighting the plunder charges against Estrada that removed him from presidency. Tension further built up when Estrada recounted how Lim visited him while he was on house arrest in Tanay, Rizal in 2004 and even “cried” while asking forgiveness from him. Lim belied Estrada’s claims and said he would never shed a tear for a criminal. “Umagang Harapan,” moderated by anchor Anthony Taberna, is regularly seen in “Umagang Kay Ganda” as part of ABS-CBN’s News and Current Affairs comprehensive, reliable, and engaging “Halalan 2013” coverage.