Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia paid tribute to Dr. Andrew Tan, chairman and chief executive officer of Megaworld Corporation, for his company’s support to the economic recovery program of the Bacolod City government post-COVID pandemic period.
Leonardia expressed his gratitude to Tan during the Friday opening of the Upper East Avenue, a one-kilometer thoroughfare inside the property giant’s sprawling mixed-use complex that connects Lopez Jaena Street to the Circumferential Road that is expected to decongest the traffic in the area.
“This means so much for us. More than the physical looks that it has. The symbolism is that Bacolod City, indeed, has arrived. It was a dream to have this most beautiful boulevard and modern buildings. For us, it represents our graduation from COVID, ” the mayor said.
Megaworld’s multi-billion investments, he said, also represent the city’s road to recovery.
The essence of opening up the Upper East Avenue to traffic “tells us that we are now towards that good time in Bacolod that was for a while distracted because of COVID.”
During the same event Megaworld’s Jennifer Palmares Fong, vice president for sales and marketing, announced that her company will infuse P10 billion more in fresh investments on top of its previous commitment of P35 billion over a 15 years-spread.
“After the two years that we have to suffer because of the pandemic, we are now coming back with a vengeance. This is not just a rebound but more than that,” Leonardia said.
Tan, who was declared honorary Bacolod mayor in 2020, sent a message to Leonardia saying, “Thank you for gracing this important event and all the best for you.”
For Leonardia Dr. Tan is not just another investor.
“He became the most functional honorary mayor that we ever had. Thank you for giving us a new dawn in Bacolod. Let us call this the road to recovery,” Leonardia said.
In December 2021, Megaworld sponsored the installation of Christmas decors at the Bacolod City Public Plaza.
The property giant also installed the Christmas lights at the Bacolod City Government Center complex to perk up the holidays.*
