Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan announced during her State of the City Address (SOCA) that the city government paid over P2 billion of the capital city's inherited debt amounting to over P17 billion.
On Tuesday afternoon, July 30, the mayor delivered her SOCA at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City.
Lacuna-Pangan thanked her fellow officials, employees and the residents for helping her achieve this milestone.
"Sa pagtatapos ng pandemya, at sa pagpasok ng ating bagong pamamahala, nagdesisyon ako na unahin na matustusan ang minana nating pananagutan sa mga nagpahiram ng pondo. Umabot ito ng mahigit pa sa P17 billion (With the end of the pandemic, and with the entry of our new administration, I have decided to prioritize paying off our liability to fund lenders. It reached more than P17 billion)," she said.
Sa masinop at maayos na pamamahala natin sa pananalapi ng bayan, unti-unti, ipinagmamalaki kong nakapagbayad na tayo at nabawasan ang obligasyon ng mahigit sa P2 bilyong piso sa loob lamang ng isang taon (With our prudent and proper management of the public finances, little by little, I am proud that we have been able to pay and reduce the obligation of more than P2 billion in just one year)," she announced.
The event was attended by at least 1,000 guests comprising of barangay heads, city officials, city councilors, lawmakers, business leaders and other stakeholders, whom the mayor all praised for their unwavering support.
It took about an hour before the program proper started due to the throngs of attendees wanting to have their pictures taken with the mayor as she walked along the aisle leading to her seat.
In her speech, the local chief executive said that despite the debts left behind by the former administration, she continued, finished and also enhanced all the pending projects.
She said that the city government even launched more programs that would address the needs of Manileños, especially in the aspect of health and employment, among others.
From 2023 to present, Lacuna-Pangan reported that a total of 184,572 registered senior citizens in Manila were given monthly allowances in addition to the continuous provision of birthday cakes and special Christmas gifts.
Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs of Manila (DTCAM), she said, registered 14 million local and foreign tourists, making the city the "Worlds’ Leading City Destination" in the December 2023 in the World Travel Awards, which is the highest recognition in tourism worldwide.
She also reported that the number of index crimes in the city is gradually decreasing as a result of the good collaboration of the barangay and the Manila Police District (MPD).
In the latest Philippine National Police (PNP) report, Manila has the second lowest crime rate in the entire National Capital Region (NCR).
The lady mayor also cited the awards given to the city such as the Disaster Resilience Champion Award in the entire National Capital Region.
She said the city government purchased three fire tankers, a mobile shower unit, a flood truck with suction capacity of the flood, and a "Tool Man Truck" full of rescue equipment.
"Within a year, our city police conducted more than 25,000 operations against those who violate laws regarding curfew, obstruction, traffic laws etc. This also includes traffic and parking problems," she noted.
"Ito na ang ating pagkakataon na sama-samang sagutin ang hamon ng ating lungsod. Hindi tayo titigil. Hindi ako titigil, hanggang sa ating makamit, ang pinapangarap nating Magnificent Manila (This is our chance to work together and answer the challenge of our city. We will not stop. I will not stop until we achieve the Magnificent Manila we dream of)," the mayor said.
"Mga kapwa ko Manileño, isa pong karangalan ang patuloy kayong pagsilbihan. Ngayon man o bukas, umaraw man o umulan, hinding-hindi ko kayo iiwan. Maynila, ikaw lamang ang una kay Honey Lacuna (My fellow Manileños, it is an honor to continue to serve you. Whether it's today or tomorrow, whether it's sunny or rainy, I will never leave you. Manila, you are the first priority for Honey Lacuna)," the lady mayor said as she ended her speech.