• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
“I will not stop until a change in Bacolod is achieved,” declared Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez during his second State of the City Address on Wednesday night, which appears to hint to Bacoleños that he will be seeking reelection as chief executive in the elections on May next year.
“We are not finished yet,” Benitez stressed, adding that he wants Bacolod to be the best place to live, work and play.
Benitez added that his administration has engaged an urban planner to craft a master plan that will make Bacolod City a truly global, modern, inclusive and sustainable Super City.
“We want to make Bacolod the best place to live, work and play. We want to build a holistic environment for businesses and for people to thrive,” he further said.
Part of that plan is to convert Lacson Street to the showcase of modern Bacolod like Orchard Road in Singapore and Ayala Avenue in Makati, the mayor said.
Underground cabling for electric and telecommunication cables will be started at Lacson Street and sidewalks will be reclaimed and turned into linear parks, Benitez said.
Among the achievements he highlighted in his SOCA is his administrations’ Bacolod Comprehensive Health Program (BacCHP) that already has 100,000 registered members, 5,000 of whom have already availed of its services.
The BacCHP assistance has also been expanded to cover burial expenses, with the city having signed agreements with 11 funeral parlors to provide free services for Bacolodnon families in need of help.
The city has also launched the “Bayad Agad” program for faster financial assistance for the poor, and a voucher system for free medicine, Benitez said.
He also cited the Asenso Yuhum Housing program as one of the centerpieces of his administration.
In a Super City, he said “the goal is for every family to own decent housing.”
Benitez also said his administration has already started a lot of programs to transform Bacolod into a Super City, in terms of forging shared values, delivering services, strengthening strategic industries, promoting smart solutions, and ensuring sustainable development.
The MassKara Festival continues to draw crowds here and abroad, he said, with tourist arrivals in 2023 reaching 780,000, exceeding the number of tourists in 2022 by 22 percent, and contributing P15.2 billion to the local economy.
On strategic industries, Benitez cited his interventions that have succeeded in increasing the water supply of the city and in bringing down power rates.
The city government is also boosting the creative economy of Bacolod, Benitez said, citing the Bacolod Film Festival in September as the city’s support for Bacolodnon filmmakers and artists.
“We see the potential of our creative industry, particularly of filmmaking and visual arts, to become a driver of growth in Bacolod tourism,” he said.
According to data from the City Treasurer’s Office in 2023, he said the total revenue from local taxes, regulatory fees and other charges reached P1.4 billion, which is P500 million higher than the collection in 2019, he said.
“In 2024, we are expecting P1.7 billion in local revenues. This is made possible by our efforts to increase collection efficiency,” Benitez said.
The mayor also cited smart solutions implemented by the city government to ease doing business in Bacolod City, including the use of QR codes to prevent forgery of government documents.
“Because of the changes we are doing, because of our efforts to ease doing business in Bacolod, investor confidence in Bacolod is high,” he said. “New businesses are located in Bacolod – which means more revenues for the city government, and more jobs for Bacolodnons,” he said.
BENEFIT FROM NIR
Benitez said he also sees the city benefiting the enactment of Republic Act No. 12000, which establishes the Negros Island Region.
He thanked President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for his support for NIR, and honored former Negros Occidental governors Daniel Lacson Jr., Rafael Coscolluela and Alfredo Marañon for pushing for the island region.
“Bacolod will certainly benefit from the establishment of NIR. Coordinated and integrated development, in terms of transportation networks, energy infrastructure, labor mobility, and integrated value chains, will boost our local economy,” Benitez added.
The city government will also adopt clean technologies to ensure sustainable development and address climate change.
The installation of solar panels with 400-kilowatt capacity on top of the BCGC and in 16 barangays will save the city government 50 percent in electricity expenses, he added. It is also continuing to implement flood control measures and investing P86 million for drainage improvement, the mayor further said.
Benitez also reported on the city’s road clearing operations and other schemes that have been undertaken to ease traffic in Bacolod City.
If we go together, we go farther, the mayor stressed, adding “Our success will depend on how strong our partnership is – if we share the same vision, if we share the same values, and if we get our acts together.”
In just two years, we already have proof of concept. We already laid down the groundwork. We have planted the seeds. The state of the city is stronger than ever. But we need to sustain our momentum, Benitez said. Together, let us finish the job.
Together, let us fulfill the dream for Bacolod to become a Super City, he urged.*
