Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna on Tuesday has announced that she will run for the mayoralty post for Manila come the 2025 midterm elections.

Lacuna also declared that Vice Mayor Yul Servo will still be her running mate during a forum in Ermita, Manila and disclosed that they are ready to file their certificates of candidacy (CoC) in October this year.

The incumbent Manila mayor declared and expressed confidence that there will be no change in the leadership in Manila in 2025 and stressed that they are confident that what they have done for the residents during their first term is a validation of their genuine concern for the greater majority of Manilans.

Servo, on the other hand, said that he is proud to be Lacuna’s partner and to run with her once again next year, stressing how the mayor has and continues to inspire him with the kind of leadership she exercises.

The vice mayor also cited her dedication to duty and hard work that redound to the benefit of the city and its residents.

Meantime, Lacuna revealed that while infrastructures may be aesthetically good or satisfying for the eyes, there is a greater need to focus on the kind of assistance that is needed more immediately and where a larger number of people will benefit.

She also stressed that compared to housing projects, for example, which benefit only a few, the special assistance program which provides monthly cash aid to senior citizens, persons with disability, minors with disability, solo parents, and university students benefits hundreds of thousands.

She said that this assistance could have been increased if the city government were not paying a P17.8-billion loan left behind by the previous administration.

Just the same, Lacuna said that her administration has embarked on infrastructure projects based on “proof of concept,” meaning they are realistically sized to meet the needs of the population. She cited certain projects in the past where the school buildings built have more classrooms than what are actually needed, based on student population.

Among the projects that Lacuna came up with are the animal shelter and clinic near the Vitas Slaughterhouse which will open in September as well as three six-story school buildings in Tondo, District 5, and District 6.

Those located in Tondo are the Isabelo delos Reyes Elementary School and Jacinto Elementary School and they are expected to be finished in early 2025. The Aurora Quezon Elementary School in District 5, Phase 1 of which is finished, will also be continued with its Phase 2 about to start soon, while the groundbreaking on V. Mapa Elementary School in District 6 is also set to begin.

The lady mayor also said that her administration has tapped the help of barangay chiefs by trusting them with the distribution of the said monthly cash assistance to senior citizens, persons with disability, minors with disability, solo parents and university students.