Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna and Vice Mayor Yul Servo yesterday inaugurated and opened to the public the Manila Clock Tower Museum situated at the top floor of city hall.

Also unveiled were the portraits of all the mayors who had served the city through the years, including during the Japanese occupation of Manila when it was declared an "open city" in 1945 and its heavy bombing by the comebacking American forces five years later.

The portraits of Manila's mayors were also collected in a coffee table book. Also present during the launch were the mayor's parents, former vice mayor Danny Lacuna and wife Inday, and her siblings led by Councilors Philip and Lei Lacuna.

In her brief message opening the Rodriguez Hall, Mayor Lacuna said the past mayors of Manila had served as the city's pillars in the last 451 years since its founding.

"Each portrait includes a narrative that introduces the mayor and his legacy, things that we should never forget and always cherish," Lacuna, the capital city's first female mayor, said in Filipino.

"What we have today are the fruits of how they governed," she added, expressing elation that her own portrait as the present mayor has found a place among her predecessors.

She said looking at the images of Manila's past mayors inspires her to do her very best in serving the people of Manila.

The coffee table book was titled "Portraits of the Mayors of Manila: A Book of Honor and Service."

"Our department is in debt to our local chief executive as these were all her ideas that we laboriously worked on as we took advantage of her love for the arts," Manila tourism chief Charlie Dungo said.

"Culture and the arts are valuable to our character and aspirations, so much so that it should also be given ample attention by our government," he added.

Lacuna announced that the Manila City Hall Clock Tower was opened to the public to bring back its rich culture and history.