• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The request of Bacolod City government for the use of Capitol properties for the MassKara Festival activities next month, free of charge, was approved by Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, disclosed Provincial Administrator Atty. Rayfrando Diaz yesterday.
Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, in a letter to Gov. Lacson, requested the free use of the Capitol-owned Paglaum Sports Complex for the MassKara Arena Competition and closing ceremony on October 22.
Benitez earlier said that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos are attending the MassKara Festival this year.
The Bacolod City government also requested for the use of the two roads surrounding the Capitol complex from October 19 to 22, to establish the Lacson Tourism Strip during the festivities.
“By closing these roads temporarily to vehicular traffic, we can create a vibrant pedestrian-friendly space that will attract both locals and tourists,”
Benitez said, in his letter to Gov. Lacson. Benitez also requested the provincial government “to reinforce its manpower for critical aspects of the festival’s organization specifically for deploying personnel from the province to assist the General Services Office, Security and Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office.*
