“The BacoLaodiat has united all of us”, Bacolod Mayor Monico Puentevella yesterday said at the opening of the 9th Bacolaodiat Festival in Bacolod City as he enjoined everyone to cooperate and unite to make Bacolod City a top tourist destination in the country and in the world.
Red Chinese lanterns illuminated the festival site as these were switched on before the start of the cultural program at the North Capitol Road that was transformed by the Filipino Chinese community in Bacolod City into a China town. Puentevella and Vice Mayor Greg Gasataya, with members of the Sanggunian, and leaders of the Filipino-Chinese community in the city, led the parade along Lacson Street to open the festival. Today is a national special non-working holiday in celebration of the Chinese New year based on Proclamation No. 655 series of 2013 signed by President Benigno Simeon Aquino lll. Puentevella said, "Bacolaodiat is growing bigger every year and is a very laudable addition to our tourism events in the city. We cannot depend on MassKara Festival alone so we have to produce many tourism events in order to attract people to come to Bacolod.” The Bacolaodiat was originated by former mayor and now Congressman Evelio Leonardia, and is now in its 9 th year. Puentevella said SM-Bacolod is building a convention center and with this development, many people will be interested to come to Bacolod and this will trigger an economic upsurge in the city. He thanked the Filipino Chinese community not only for their voluntary support to fire fighting and rescue operations, but for their contribution to the tourism program of the city like the Bacolaodiat Festival as well. ”I hope that through the years, this will grow further," he said. Bacolod is also host of the 2013 Batang Pinoy national championship games where 2,500 young athletes all over the country have arrived to compete in various sports in the city, Puentevella said. The Ceres - FC friendship football festival 7A side will also be staged in Bacolod on Saturday where 204 football teams and club will complete for a friendly game in ten categories, he said, adding that these events will fill up all the restaurants and hotels in Bacolod. Also present at the opening rites were Councilors Em Ang, Sonya Verdeflor, Jocelle Batapa-Sigue, El Cid Familiaran, Wilson Gamboa Jr., Archie Baribar and Carlos Jose Lopez. Meanwhile, road closures will be implemented at the festival site along the North Capitol Road and Lacson Street from noon to midnight starting today until tomorrow, and from noon to 2 p.m. on Sunday.*CGS BY CHRYSEE SAMILLANO Visayan Daily Star
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An ordinance regulating the use of airspace of Bacolod City, was approved on second reading by the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod Wednesday.
The ordinance, authored by Councilor Caesar Distrito, chairperson of the Committee on Laws, Ordinances and Good Government and Committee on Urban Planning and General Services, aims to regulate airspace usage in the City of Bacolod particularly in public properties. It provides that the use of airspace can only be allowed if it is intended for the welfare, security, safety, health and convenience of the general public. It also provides that the use of public airspace for commercial purposes can only be allowed if it will not cause danger to the public, is within the allowable height as determined by Office of the Building Official and certified by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, and should be declared by the SP as a patrimonial property of the City. Meanwhile, the SP also approved a resolution requesting PhilHealth president Alexander Padilla, through Director Vincent Andrew Leyson, national project manager of the National Household Targeting Office, the list of indigents in the City of Bacolod covered by PhilHealth, and the corresponding budget provided by the national government. The resolution authored by Councilor El Cid Familiaran, saidthe list of indigents identified by the Department of Social Welfare and Development through the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction, based on Republic Act No. 10606, or “National Health Insurance Act of 1995, “ is indispensable for PhilHealth beneficiaries. The resolution also said that while other local governments and provinces, such as Negros Occidental have been already provided with the lists of their indigents under PhilHealth coverage, and provided funds, Bacolod City has yet to be provided its own official list of indigent beneficiaries, necessary for appropriate funding from the national government. The official list of Bacolod’s indigents is critical for crafting and implementing programs and services for social protective services, it added.*CGS BY CHRYSEE SAMILLANO Visayan Daily Star An ordinance granting a 20 percent discount to stall awardees or lessees who are prompt and faithfully paying their monthly stall/block rentals, was approved on first reading by the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod Wednesday.
The ordinance was authored by Councilor El Cid Familiaran and co-authored by Councilors Sonya Verdeflor and Caesar Distrito. The resolution said the City had been granting market stall awardees tax relief on surcharges/ interests/penalties and arrearages on their rental obligations through the passage of City Ordinance No. 407, series of 2006, City Ordinance No. 589 Series of 2012 and City Ordinance No. 615 Series of 2012. These market awardees or lessees, who are beneficiaries of these ordinances, are not religious or prompt tax payers, yet they were given by the city tax relief on their unpaid market rentals, it said. A number of market awardees, who have paid their market rentals religiously, are supposed to enjoy the same privileges or incentives being enjoyed by those who have surcharges or arrearages as provided in Article 11 of C.O. 407, C.O. 583 and C.O. 632, the resolution said. The city should grant 20 percent discount to market stall/block stall awardees or lessees, who are promptly and faithfully paying their monthly stall/block rentals, under Section 192, Chapter 5 of Book II of the Local Government Code of 1991 which authorizes the Local Government Unit to grant tax exemptions, incentives or reliefs, it added.*CGS Visayan Daily Star A resolution asking the City Treasurer’s Office, through the Mayor’s Office, to release the salaries or wages of employees exactly on the 15th and 30th of the month, was authored by Bacolod Councilor El Cid Familiaran.
It is apparent that the payment for the salaries and wages of city employees does not, in any way, mitigate their economic plight, the resolution states. Delayed releases diminishes the value of wages, and workers often resort to borrow from a loan shark who overburden them with exorbitant interests, stressed Familiaran. Previously, succeeding administrations made it to a point that city employees should be paid semi-monthly and promptly, the resolution further states. Familiaran said the reinstitution by the present administration of the release of salaries and wages on time – on the 15th and 30th day of the month – will not only alleviate the economic situation of city employees, but will address payroll backlog as well./WDJ Watchmen Daily Journal Bacolod City’s key executives faced Bacolod vendors yesterday at the Bacolod BAYS Center for a public hearing on the restoration of order in the sidewalks of the city. (In the photo) Mayor Monico Puentevella, SPM El Cid Familiaran, SPM Sonya Verdeflor, City Administrator Atty. Rolando Villamor, City Legal Officer Atty. Sarah Villamor and Secretary to the Mayor Ramonet Lastima.* (Owen S. Bayog/NDB photo)
A resolution declaring the month of January as Cleanliness Awareness Month, was approved by the Bacolod City Sangguniang Panlungsod last week.
The resolution authored by Councilor El Cid Familiaran said that, usually after the December holiday celebration, garbage and solid waste become very apparent in of the city. The city should respond to such perennial environmental challenge, it said. The resolution also said the Local Government Code of 1991 mandates local government units to maintain a balanced environment and healthful ecology. It also said this awareness campaign for the environment, if continuously practiced and becomes sustainable in the city, will surely improve its condition.*CGS Visayan Daily Star |
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