Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna has spent her weekend distributing relief items to over a thousand families from Tondo who were adversely affected by the onslaught of typhoon “Carina.”

Lacuna, along with Vice Mayor Yul Servo, attended to nearly 1,000 families from two barangays in Tondo. The assistance comes on top of those already given at the evacuation centers.

In her short message, Lacuna said she was glad to see the huge smiles on the faces of the residents, noting their resilience in the face of adversity.

Met by a thunderous greeting, Lacuna said, “It doesn’t seem like you were affected. You know that’s the good thing about us Filipinos...never lose hope.”

“Even though what happened to us last week was terrible, we are still smiling. Why? Because we know we have someone to lean on somehow. We know that there is and will help us,” she added.

It was learned that the recipients of the relief assistance were more than 400 families from Barangay 180 Zone 16 under chairman Oscar Guevarra, Jr.; 400 families from Barangay 186 Zone 16 under chairperson Amy Aguirre; and at least 250 families from Barangay 177, Zone 16 headed by chairman Eddie Yu.

During the heavy downpour, Lacuna waded through flood-prone areas to ensure that everyone who needed to be evacuated was put to safety.

At night, she visited the evacuated families and provided all their immediate needs.