A social media post by devotees of the Nuestra Senora de los Desamparados de Manila-Coronada for the “Araw ng Maynila” featuring a current and former politician caught the attention of online users.
A user on the X (formerly Twitter) platform shared a screengrab of a Facebook post of the Nuestra Senora de los Desamparados de Manila-Coronada on Monday and described it as “weird.”
“Weird post by the FB [Facebook] page of the Devotees of the Our Lady of the Abandoned in Manila for Araw ng Maynila,” user @DeusXMachina14 wrote on June 24.
The Facebook page, maintained by devotees of Our Lady of the Abandoned, posted separate pictures of Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna and her predecessor, former Manila mayor Isko Moreno, with the caption, “Araw ng Maynila.”
The photos featured Lacuna praying before the altar and Moreno giving staff of office to a religious image.
There are no other recent posts from the Facebook page that indicate other activities by Lacuna or Moreno related to the “Araw ng Maynila” commemoration.
However, a quick search of Lacuna and/or Moreno’s names on the page shows that the devotees posted Lacuna’s exact picture on May 12, 2021, or three years ago, when Moreno was still the Manila mayor.
It also credited Moreno’s page for the photos.
“LOOK: Mayor Francisco ‘Isko’ Moreno and Vice Mayor Maria Shiela Lacuna paying homage to Our Lady of the Abandoned,” the page said in 2021.
In the same year, the page also posted a picture of Moreno offering the historic “Baston de Mando” of Manila Archbishop Francisco de la Cuesta, a Spaniard who held office from 1702 to 1722.
Another old post on the page had the caption “Misa Mayor 2021.”
It was posted on the same day, May 12, 2021, and featured Lacuna and Moreno with similar clothes.
Meanwhile, the “Araw ng Maynila” commemorates the city’s founding on June 24, 1571 by Spanish colonizer Miguel López de Legazpi.
He was assigned to colonize the Philippines for the Spanish crown, which included the invasion of Manila, a rich Moslem kingdom under Rajah Sulayman.
In 1976, the site was reestablished as the country’s capital and the seat of national government after Quezon City held the title from 1948 to 1976.
The City of Manila is now among the most densely populated cities in the world.
This year, it is celebrating its 453rd founding anniversary.
