# Honey Lacuna

Maria Sheilah "Honey" Honrado Lacuna-Pangan (born May 6, 1965) is a Filipina physician and politician who has served as the 24th and first female Mayor of Manila, the capital city of the Philippines since 2022. The first woman to serve as the city's Mayor, Lacuna previously served as the city's 27th and second female Vice Mayor from 2016 to 2022, as Officer-In-Charge of the Manila Department of Social Welfare from 2013 to 2015, and as a member of the Manila City Council from 2004 to 2013. She is a daughter of the former Vice Mayor Danilo Lacuna.

## Early life

Lacuna was born on May 6, 1965 in Manila in Manila to Danilo Lacuna, a lawyer who became a city councilor and vice mayor of Manila, and Melanie Honrado, a former Philippine National Bank (PNB) executive. She earned a biology degree at the University of Santo Tomas, earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute, passed the physician board examination in 1992, and completed her residency training in dermatology at the Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center. She eventually became a fellow of the Philippine Dermatological Society.

## Medical career

A general practitioner with specialization in dermatology by profession, Lacuna worked as a resident physician of the dermatology department of Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center from 1992 to 1995 and as the public health center physician under the Manila Health Department from 1995 to 2004. As the latter, she was assigned to the Bacood Health Center in Santa Mesa and later to the Tondo Health Center in Tondo. Her father, then Vice Mayor Danny Lacuna, then tasked her to head the medical team of his office's regular medical and dental mission conducted every week in various depressed communities in Manila.
She served as the Acting City Social Welfare Officer of Manila from 2013 to 2015. Even as a politician, Lacuna continued her door-to-door visit to patients that she has been doing since before entering politics.

## Political career
### Councilor (2004–2013)

Lacuna then entered politics when she substituted a candidate for councilor in the 4th district of Manila who withdrew from the race ahead of the 2004 city elections. She ran under the ticket of her father, who was the running mate of former mayor Mel Lopez of Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino. She then won, serving as a Manila city councilor from the 4th district for three consecutive terms from 2004 to 2013. As councilor, she served in the minority whip from 2004 to 2007, was chairperson of the Committee on Education, a member of 38 committees, and majority floor leader, the first woman to be named so. She also authored, among others, the following:
* Ordinance No. 8095 designating bicycle and motorcycle Lanes in the main thoroughfares in Manila;
* Ordinance No. 8179 creating the Manila AIDS Council for the prevention and control of sexually transmitted infections;
* Ordinance No. 8117 mandating all business establishments, private and public offices in the City of Manila, including schools to require all their applicants and employees to submit to drug testing and to conduct unannounced drug tests on all their employees at least once a year; and
* Ordinance No. 8102 requires the city’s hymn ("Awit ng Maynila") in all flag ceremonies of schools, offices and other institutional/official programs, in the opening of any official gatherings in Manila, before the start of the regular sessions of the Manila City Council, programs or functions of the City Government of Manila and of the barangays, programs or activities initiated, sponsored or coordinated by or with the City Government of Manila, programs, celebrations, or activities initiated or coordinated by accredited and City-registered non-government organizations and civic oriented groups; city and tourism activities of the City Government of Manila in any place as well as in official City gatherings or meetings outside the City; special activities such as those observed during the Cityhood Celebration, Bataan Day, Independence Day, National Heroes Day, Bonifacio Day and Rizal Day.

### Vice Mayor (2016–2022)

In the 2016 city election, she was chosen as the running mate of incumbent mayor Joseph Estrada, who was seeking re-election under Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP); she then won the vice mayoralty race. She became the first woman to be elected vice mayor since the post became an elective position. She was then reelected in 2019, this time as the running mate of her predecessor Isko Moreno, who was running for mayor under Asenso Manileño and defeated Estrada. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she stood as a point person for Moreno in coordinating with the hospital directors of Manila, applying her expertise as a medical doctor. In 2021, she joined Aksyon Demokratiko and was named as the party's Vice-President for Internal Affairs and National Executive Board Member.

### Mayor (2022–present)

With Isko Moreno running for president in 2022, Lacuna was nominated by Asenso Manileño to run for mayor in 2022 to succeed him, with Manila's 3rd district representative Yul Servo as her running mate and vice mayoral candidate. She won the race by a huge margin over her closest rival, Alex Lopez, making her the first-ever female to be elected mayor of Manila in 450 years. She was inaugurated before outgoing mayor Moreno on June 29, 2022, at the Manila Cathedral, but only officially started her term on the next day, succeeding him. As mayor, she vowed to prioritize health care and expand Moreno's programs.
On August 5, 2022, Lacuna was conferred with a degree of Doctor of Public Administration, honoris causa by the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila.
As mayor, Lacuna initiated the "Kalinga sa Maynila," which brings essential city hall services directly to residents. She also reported that since assuming office as mayor, she has visited 500 out of Manila's 897 barangays and paid off ₱2.5 billion of the ₱17.8 billion debt left by her predecessor, Isko Moreno, for infrastructure projects as of August 2024. Additionally, three six-story school buildings were constructed under her administration. The Manila city government, under her administration, was also awarded its first Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) in 2024, highlighting focus on transparency, accountability, and inclusivity in governance. Her tenure has also faced criticisms on ₱625 health permit requirement for Manila workers by virtue of an ordinance signed by Moreno in 2022, the conditions at the Manila Public Health Laboratory in Santa Cruz, delays in infrastructure projects, and garbage crisis in January 2025 due to uncollected wastes upon the expiration of the city government's contract with Leonel Waste Management Corporation.
On August 6, 2024, Lacuna joined the Lakas–CMD party. On August 27, she announced her re-election bid for mayor.

## Personal life

Lacuna is married to Arnold "Poks" Martin Pangan, a fellow physician and registered social worker who is the incumbent City Health Officer of Manila, a former acting City Social Welfare Department Head of Manila, and a 2013 candidate for Manila councilor from the 4th district. They have one daughter.
Lacuna's brother, Salvador Philip Lacuna, is a member of the Manila City Council representing the 6th district. She also has another brother, Dennis is a former member in the city council.