Over 1,600 Manila students on Wednesday received financial assistance from the city.

A total of 1,663 students from Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and Baseco, received P5,000 each during the aid distribution at the San Andres Sports Complex in Malate, Manila.

In her speech, Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan appealed to the parents not to use the funds for other purposes like paying for their electric or water bills or to pay their debts.

"Bagama't hindi kalakihan, ang tulong na ito ay aming ibinibigay para kahit paano ay maibsan ang inyong pangaraw-araw na pangangailangan (Although the amount is not that big, we're providing this assistance to somehow alleviate your daily needs)," Lacuna said.

"Sana ay gamitin ninyo ito sa pangangailangan ng mga anak ninyo (I hope you will use it for the needs of your children)," Lacuna added.

The mayor also appealed to the students to make their parents proud by finishing their studies.

"Mag-aral lang kayo dahil yan ang regalo sa inyong mga magulang na ginagawa lahat para lang matustusan ang inyong mga pangangailangan. Wala nang iba pang masaya pag kayo ay  makapagtapos ng pag-aaral (Just study because that is a gift to your parents who do everything just to provide for your needs. There's no other happiness for them than seeing you graduate)," Lacuna continued.

"Napakalaki ng learning gap ng ating mga anak at apo kaya gusto po namin sa pagkakataon na ito na paliitin ang learning gap. Mabigyan kayo ng karagdagang tulong para mas matustusan nyo ang pangangailangan ng mga bata kaya pagdamutan sana ninyo ang aming nakayanan (The learning gap of our children and grandchildren is very huge, so we want to take this opportunity to narrow the learning gap. You can be given additional help to better meet the needs of the children, so please appreciate what we have been able to do)," she added.