With the deluge of Christmas cash bonanza and gifts for all residents of Manila, certain sectors and even Manila City Hall employees, Mayor Honey Lacuna deserves the highest accolade for keeping the city government’s finances very sound.
Unknown to many, the good mayor maintains austerity without sacrificing quality, in all the undertakings that have to be done by the local government of Manila.
We, members of her officialdom on the other hand, are just so inspired to support her all the way and do everything humanly possible to help out, specially for her to be able to achieve her plans and dreams for a better city and a more progressive populace.
The inspiration stems from the kind of work ethics Mayor Honey had been seen with, day in and day out, in the discharge of her functions. She is a God-fearing and conscientious leader who has genuine empathy and sympathy for her colleagues, subordinates and constituency.
In fact, she starts her day with a morning prayer sent to all the group chats of which she is a member, leaving us reminded that our daily work must be for the glory of God.
For starters, the financial benefits of city employees have been given way early for the Christmas season.
The provision of food boxes have also begun, covering all of the 695,000 households in Manila. This is to ensure that no family goes hungry on Christmas day, as the boxes contain Noche Buena items which they can put on the table for the occasion.
The monthly allowances for the city’s senior citizens numbering about180,000, on the other hand, are also being given to cover all the way up to the yearend. The cash allowance for the city’s senior citizens covering the months of from September to December 2023 has already been processed and will be given out at the soonest time possible, way before Christmas.
Simultaneously, the distribution of the cash aid for the city’s persons with disability (PWDs) and solo parent- beneficiaries is also expected to be done first week of December. There are more than 33,000 PWDs and 17,000 solo parents and in Manila to date.
The total amount that will be received by each PWD and solo parent in Manila is P3,000, covering the P500 monthly allowance from July to December this year.
The senior citizens, on the other hand, will be receiving P2,000 each, representing their P500 monthly allowance for four months, or from September to December 2023.
Senior citizens, fortunately for them, will be receiving an additional Christmas package from Mayor Honey, just like last year.
The provision of monthly cash assistance to senior citizens, solo parents and PWDs is but part of the city of Manila’s grand social amelioration program (SAP) meant to provide cash assistance to the sectors that need them most and these include the Grade 12 students and students from the Universidad de Manila and the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, two universities which are being run by the local government of Manila.
Indeed, under Mayor Honey Lacuna’s care, Manilans can expect a Christmas that fits our theme to a T: “Paskong May Kalinga, May Ginhawa, May Saya.”
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