Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna yesterday cited the crucial Covid-related help provided by the United States (US) to the Philippines and to its capital city during the crucial early months of the pandemic attended by lockdowns.
Lacuna expressed her appreciation to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken during the handover of additional donations from USAid comprising personal protective equipment, testing and hygiene kits during a ceremony held at the Manila Zoo.
She said 2020 was a very trying year both for Filipinos and Americans, who, she added, stood as true allies in the fight against an unseen enemy when vaccines were yet to be developed against the virus first discovered in Wuhan, China in 2019.
Blinken responded by thanking medical workers who stood at the frontline of government efforts to save lives and vaccinate more than 70 million Filipinos against Covid-19.
The American said that the resumption of face-to-face classes in Philippine schools in November is just one of the many proofs of how the country has done well in managing the spread of the virus that has now mutated into several variants.
The US official noted that the at least $33-million worth of Covid-19 vaccines and the training that America provided Filipino medical workers did not come with strings attached.
Meanwhile, Lacuna, Vice Mayor Yul Servo and 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua led the distribution of assistance to families whose houses were razed by a big fire in Sta. Cruz, Manila recently.
Each family affected by the fire was given P10,000 to allow them to buy light materials with which to rebuild their houses.