Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan broke the mold when she was elected the first female mayor of the capital city, preceded by a record of excellent public service spanning almost three decades.
She helped enact landmark legislation on shelter, gender, anti-discrimination on gender preference, protection of consumers, no contact apprehension, the establishment of a Muslim cemetery, declaration of Arroceros Forest Park as a permanent forest park, revival of Escolta as the “queen of streets” in Manila, among others.
Attached to her track record are her feats as the first woman vice mayor and presiding officer in the history of the City of Manila, the first woman Majority Floor Leader in the history of the City Council of Manila, three-term City Councilor, 4th District of Manila (2004-2013), and as a physician and doctor of the people.
Lacuna-Pangan initiated the “Kalinga sa Maynila (Pulong-Pulong sa Pagtulong)” program shortly after she was elected mayor in 2022 which aims to bring the basic services of the city government directly to Manileños.
The program was expanded in 2023, making it a one-stop shop for government services such as medical consultation, essential medicines, deworming or rabies vaccination for animal pets, civil registry, tricycle or parking registration, person with disabilities (PWDs), solo parent, senior citizen identification card applications, clearing and flushing operations, water, electricity, and building permit inquiries, notary services, police clearance, and job fairs.
According to the city government, 366 out of the 896 city barangays have been served by Kalinga since it was launched.
From March to December 2023, more than 3,000 patients were served through the Kalinga program, where Mayor Honey was tagged as a “door-to-door doctor” for accomplishing her rounds in the city, visiting constituents with medical concerns, and extending assistance to Manileños in the comfort of their homes.
The Manila Health Department (MHD) also cited the medical treatment provided to hundreds of dialysis and cancer patients.
At least 40,016 Manileños, including senior citizens and PWDs, were given job opportunities through the Kalinga job fairs spearheaded by the Manila- Public Employment Services Office (PESO).
The city government also completed the distribution of monthly allowances to 184,566 senior citizens, 17,204 solo parents, 33,216 PWDs, and 28,942 students of the city-run universities.
As the mayor envisions a city where each resident can access basic services, she also launched a social media address called "The Capital Report."
It is a platform where the lady mayor makes her announcements, program updates, and incident reports via Facebook live streaming.
During the last quarter of 2023, the mayor also opened the doors of the Bulwagan Villegas inside the Manila City Hall for Manileños to have direct interaction, and consultation and to get immediate response from the mayor herself.