With an acting mayor in City Hall, Bacolod may yet “regain” the P50 million lighting projects it lost recently under the Puentevella administration, Bacolod Rep. Evelio Leonardia said yesterday. Since Bacolod Mayor Monico Puentevella has been suspended, he is requesting acting Bacolod Mayor Greg Gasataya to act on his P50 million lighting project including the flyover along the Burgos-Circumferential Road. He hopes their political opponents will not stop these projects, Leonardia said. Leonardia said he called up Road Board Executive Director Adolfo Escalona if the lighting projects can still be salvaged, considering that there is a new mayor now and he was assured that the project can still be revived. It can be recalled that the projects, which were supposed to light up the northern and southern entrances to Bacolod City, were shelved because suspended Mayor Monico Puentevella had refused to cooperate in their implementation, Leonardia said. Hopefully, with Mayor Greg Gasataya who is cooperative and friendlier, we can get these projects going, Leonardia also said. "We likewise expect the cooperation of Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran and the council because lighting up our major thoroughfares is an utmost necessity," he added. The Bacolod solon also said that in a visit to Escalona earlier this year, he was informed that the P50-million fund he requested had already been allocated for Bacolod and that a Road Board study team was deployed in Bacolod to determine the exact locations of the project. Leonardia had initially recommended the Bago boundary leading to Sum-ag onwards and the Talisay boundary going to Barangays Bata and Mandalagan including lighting up the flyover, which many consider a traffic hazard during nighttime. The lighting projects need the approval of the local government to ensure it pays for the electrical consumption of the street lights. Without this cooperation, it cannot be implemented. Gasataya said the P50 million lighting project will be a big help to Bacolod City but they will have to check on the study conducted by the Department of Public Works and Highways on the flyover project. Earlier, Puentevella also opposed the P365-million flyover project for the Lopue's East section, which many consider the busiest and most congested junction of the city, Leonardia said. Puentevella had also opposed the P100-million Honorata Manalo (Buri) road in Mandalagan and delayed the P240-million tourism road project along Burgos Street leading to Granada and Alangilan. Meanwhile, Gasataya celebrated his birthday yesterday with a medical mission at the BAYS Center where he was joined by his family, friends and some Grupo Progreso candidates led by Bacolod Rep. Evelio Leonardia who is their mayoralty candidate. Gasataya said “This medical mission is my way of giving thanks to the people of Bacolod.” More than a thousand Bacolodnons children and adults availed of the medical consultation and free medicines, he said. Gasataya said his birthday wish is for peace and for everyone to be able to achieve their dreams and aspirations and for Bacolodnons to improve their way of living. He also hopes candidates would respect each other and those who want to sow conflict should stop as it will only affect the city. He is always happy every time he celebrates his birthday and more so now that he was given a rare opportunity to serve as acting Mayor of Bacolod. On the other hand, Leonardia who also attended Gasataya's medical mission on his birthday said that it is good that Gasataya celebrated his birthday with the people of Bacolod. "His present position is a birthday gift to him in having that privilege to serve as the Acting Mayor. I hope that he will be able to perform the job with no pitfalls. He should be more conscious against saboteurs. But I am confident that he can do it well. “And I have the same wishes for acting Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran. I hope that both of them will be able to implement whatever plans they have," he said. Those who joined Gasataya in distributing the medicines were Rep. Leonardia, Councilors Em Ang, Caesar Distrito, Roberto Rojas and his wife Cindy, former Councilors Ricardo “Cano” Tan, Dindo Ramos and Al Victor Espino, former vice mayor Renecito Novero, and their party mate Israel Salanga, who served as emcee.*CGS BY CHRYSEE SAMILLANO
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