Incumbent Manila City Mayor Maria Sheilah 'Honey' Honrado Lacuna-Pangan formally filed her Certificate of Candidacy for reelection at the Comelec satellite office in SM Manila on October 3, 2024. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File

MANILA — Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna on Wednesday admitted that waste management firm Leonel Waste Management Corporation (Leonel) had only been paid for the first 4 months of their service in 2024, but refused to call the city's remaining payables "debts."

Lacuna had accused Leonel of abandoning its duty to collect the city's trash before its contract ended on Dec. 31 following complaints from residents. But Leonel denied the claim, adding that Manila's "total debt to our company [amounts] to P561,440,000."

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"Nabayaran na yung para sa naunang apat na buwan ng taong 2024. Available na rin ang pondong mahigit P131 million para sa May at June para sa serbisyo ng Leonel. Hindi po ito masasabing utang kung hindi ito 'due and demandable' kagaya ng nakasaad sa aming kontratang pinirmahan," the Manila City mayor said.

According to Lacuna, payments to the city's contractors are not "kaliwaan" since it had to go through several offices. 

"Dumadaan sa proseso ang disbursement para sa payments sa Leonel. Hindi iyan kaliwaan... May mga government accounting, auditing requirements, and procedures na itinatagubilin ng batas na kailangang sundin," Lacuna said.

"Alam ng Leonel na ang malalaking kontrata sa gobyerno ay hindi immediately due and demandable," she added.

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Lacuna said the city is now processing the payment for Leonel's services rendered in the latter part of2024, but threatened that that might now be jeopardized.

"Dadaaan din sa tamang proseso ang bayad ng Lungsod ng Maynila sa Leonel para sa nalalabi pang mga buwan. Pero baka maaapektuhan iyan ng hindi nila pagtupad sa kontrata nitong Disyembre," she said.

Lacuna, who is seeking reelection, implied that Leonel's accusations might be motivated by politics since its owner is "friends" with her rival Isko Moreno.

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