The following is a transcript of the State of the City Address of Mayor Alfredo Abelardo “Albee Benitez that he delivered on 5 July 2023, his first report to the city after winning the 2022 polls.
The transcript was based on a Facebook recording of his address, the link of which was provided by the Bacolod Information Office.
Maayong hapon sa inyu tanan, sang gakampanya pa kita hamal ko ibalik ko ang paglaum ibalik ko ang yuhom sang Bacolod , hambal ko bag- ohon naton ang Sistema sng BCGC, hambal ko untaton naton ang corruption nag sugot kamo nga kinanlan sang pag bag-o , nagsinggit kamo “Albee the Change” gin updan niyo ko sa pag tambog or dambog (not sure) for a better Bacolod, tungod sa inyo pagsalig kag supporta we make history, isa na katuig nga nagligad halin sng pagpungko ko sa BCGC ang pag bag- o ari na change is here,ang ginadala naton nga pag bag-o or change is not only for government processes but also change in a mindset sang tanan nga tawo, clean, efficient, and people centered government amu ni ang kinanlan to transform Bacolod into a Super City.
I have always been firm on this I have zero tolerance for corruption, for abuse, and neglect of duty, may ara na ko na sampolan sigurado ko indi niyu luyag kmu ang masunod,let me be clear in my administration indi pwede galantaw sang tv during office hours, sa akon nga administrasyon bawal ang gatan-aw teleserye sa sulod sang opisina , damo na drama sa aton subong indi niyo na pag dugangan, bag ohon natun ang work culture sa BCGC we will enforce discipline and promote good work ethics and flexibility I ask everyone to join me to go beyond the call of duty to go the extra mile this is what public service is all about. Sa akon administrasyon ibalik ta ang pagsalig sang tawo sa City Government, untaton naton ang daan nga Sistema wala ghost employees, wala ghost beneficiaries, wala ghost projects.
Ang first order naton sa pag pungko sa BCGC nagtukod kita sang good governance committee para bag uhon ang procurement process para siguraduhon naton nga insakto ang paggamit sang pundo sang syudad. Sa akon nga administrasyon indi muro muro ang bidding ang nagakatabo sang una nga centimos lang ang deperensya sang bid kumpara sa approved budget subong we ensure nga transparent the competitive ang bidding para sa supplies kag services nga mga kinanlan ta, because of this competitive bidding we have save a total of 43Million pesos today. Ang mga Job order personnel naton kinanlan ga report sila sa work stations nila adlaw adlaw. Sa akon nga administrasyon indi pwede nga gabaton lang sweldo nga wala may ginobrahan, amat amat gina process na ang aton nga atm’s para sa JO personnel para efficient ang paghatag sang ila nga sweldo so far, 3,636 JO personnel na ang may ara atm indi na kamo mabudlayan pagpangita sang sweldo niyo, pero tani nga may atm na kamo indi niyo man pag e prenda.
We are Empowering Bacolodnons to get involved in governance nag launched kita QR code kun diin e sugid niyo tanan nga reklamo, pagkabaton sang reklamo e refer gilayon sa concerned office para mapangitaan sang solusyon ang reklamo, since September 2022 nakabaton kita total of 1,980 complaints, Delay in garbage collection is the top complain, out of the 1,130 complaints sa basura nga nabaton ta 1,105 or 98 % ang na aksyonan naton gilayon . Indi kamo mahadlok mag sugid because its your right and responsibility to hold your officials accountable, each and every Bacolodnon is an agent of change hindi kita maging passive hindi pwede nga wala kita labot sa mga gakatabo diri sa aton syudad. Ginpermahan ko kagapon ang City Ordinance No. 1042 nagatukod sang “Be The Change” program nga maka encourage sa tanan maging partners of change, mga bag uhon kag paglantaw kag pamatasan, gapati ko nga kita tanan may ara potential for change, gatingala gani ko kis a kun ara ta sa layo nga lugar sa mga iban nga mga countries daw ka buot man sa aton kag indi pasaway ,peru mag abot d ya sa atun daw nadula ang pag kabuot natun.
For example kay kun kita magkadto sa Singapore gasunod man ta sa Laye nila indi kita maghaboy basura bisan diin hindi kita gapanupla bisan diin amo ni ang atun nga gusto matabo d sa syudad sang Bacolod through “Be the Change program” we want to instill discipline and promote voluntarism we want Bacolodnons nga maging good citizens maging agents of development, we will make Bacolod City a discipline City like Singapore that is the intent of that ordinance and I would like to thank our council headed by our vice mayor for a quick passage of that ordinance
Pagbag o sang processo para dasigon ang serbisyo amu na ang promisa naton sa tawo ang instruction ko sa opisina sang BCGC streamline processes padasigon kag pahapuson ang pagkuha sang business building permits, may grade onsite constructions to online and accelerate digitalization of processes
Ang Office of the Building Officials sang Bacolod City is one of the first to adopt the integrated business permits and liscensing system sang DICT mas mahapos na ang mag apply sang building permit or certificate of occupancy sa OBO this is perhaps why the collection sang OBO nagsaka man from 48.27M in the period of July 2021- June 2022 ang collection sng OBO in the period of July 2022-june2023 nagsaka to 55.76Million pero basi mahambl kamo nga nag saka kay nakarecover nata sa pandemic, but if we have exceeded pre pandemic collection ang collection of period July 2019 to 2020 which is pre pandimec year was just 42.27Million other words we are in good shape ginsuguran taman sa city Mayor’s Office ang online tracking system amo na nakita niyo kagina sa video sa mga documents nga nabaton namon tatakan sang QR code ang receiving copy sang inyo documents nga gin pasa e scan niyo lang ang QR code mabal an niyo na kun diin nga opisina na refer kag kun ano na ang status sini. Sa nagligad dugai dugai ang processo makuha permits halin sa syudad labi nagid sa business permits laba ang pila gabalik balik BCGC, that is why ang iban nagapalapit nalang sa mga fixers para dasig marelease sang permit kag indi sila mabudlayan, wala nila mabal an nga peke na gali sila,nakibot ko ang business permits sang nagligad nga administrasyon kulang sang mga security features amo ni ang rason kun nga a hapos pekeon ang aton mga documents and kun hindi ako magsala kagina na tackle man sang council ang mga security measures sa aton mga public documents, again, thank you council sa inyo nga dasig nga pag obra.
That is why nagbutang kita Qr code sa mga ginaissue ta nga business permits kag mga lain lain nga official documents, o galing, ari na may nagpalapit man gyapon sa akon kag nanugid nga may ara sila nga fake business permits , suno sa business permit and liscensing office nakabaton sila sa mga reports sang fake business permits, hapos lang ni e validate sang BPLO bangud may ara nata nga QR code sa tanan nga business permits kamo man mga businesses establishments kun gusto niyo e check kun valid or authentic ang inyo business permits all you have to do e scan niyo lang ang QR code now, kun may ara kamo Makita or madiscover nga hindi valid inyo business permit pero nag agi kamo sa insakto nga processo sa amon nga liscensing office, hindi kamo mahuya magsugid agad sa akon. Amo na gani palihog lang indi na kamo magpati sa fixers indi nana kinanlan ang mga shortcuts, ari na ginapahapos tana ginapadasig na naton ang processo, we are also bringing our services closer to the businesses owners ,just yesterday we have launched the permanent Bacolod express service at sm on going naman ang pagset up sang isa pa ka PESO sa ayala mall capital central. Ini tanan gina obra ta to ensure the ease of doing business to attract more investors to the City of Bacolod.
We are also promoting cashless payments ang mga balayran sa city treasures of office pwede na magbayad online or through gcash Bacolod City is the first in western visayas to adopt the Paleng-Qr program sang banko central ng pilipinas kag DILG , under this program markets vendors small businesses and public transport operators can register and open an account , himuon nila ang QR code para ang manog bakal or pasahero pwede ka bayad through gcash e scan lang nila ang QR code subong makabayad na sila a total of 1,889 vendors kag 1,158 tricycle drivers na ang naka register. Crucial man ang development sang Bacolod ang mayo nga infrastructure we are processing and almost done with a 4.4Billion pesos loan with DBP to finance this golden age of infrastructure in Bacolod city and pumpprime?(notsure) our local economy, This includes the construction improvement and rehabilitation of one of which mga dalan naton of which lapit nalang gid matapos ang aton ginaobra sa old airport access road para ka serbisyo indi lang sa mga taga singcacng kag tangub kundi sa bilog nga Bacolod.
We are also planning to make our markets great again patahumon ta ang public markets unahon ta ang burgos as you can see that is the perspective rendering of what we want to do and build with our public markets aside from public markets we we will upgrade and introduce new governments centers, superhealth centers that will act as mini hospitals to caters sa mga iban nga indi kasulod sa iban nga hospital, a recycling center , solar power generation facility and mga government buildings that we much need tanan ni calibrated , calculated kag aprobado sang national regulatory agencies gaagi ni sya sa department of finance it is within our borrowing limits ang aton ginahulam, do not worry ang major ko is mathematics. The innovation we are implementing to enhance economic governance and physical management are growing strong interest and support and assistance from the private sector subong mas willing sila magpartner with the city of Bacolod , there is an initial proposal 4.5billion pesos for the rehabilitation of the manokan country to promote food tourism. May ara man , nga ga propose nga ama pundohan ang aton nga underground cabling for initial cost of 200million para ang tanan nga ara pa ang spaghetti wars madula kag itago nalang ni naton sa dalom sang duta.
We are also committed to promote green development a super city will not be super if its not green, this means investing in renewable energy development tungod sang aton nga intervention kun madumduman niyo with our coal or co ? (not sure) power plants nag nubo ang balayran sa kuryente perkilowatt hour from 16.30 pesos sang November 2022 to 13.65 in march 2023 ginsulatan tani sila kag ginpabalo ang ila nga pagdeservice sa aton pamuluyo with renewable energy basi mag mas barato pagid ang kuryente sa Bacolod that is why we need more investments to improve renewable energy infrastructure. May on going discussions naman for renewable energy transition plan maga host kita sang power summit to mobilize the investing partners to target 100% Renewable energy in 10 to 15 years it is a bold ambitous plan but im sure we can do it with the help of the provincial government that are here today. We are jump starting our energy transition by installing solar panels sa atop sang city government building and school buildings to be funded halin sa loan ta sa DBP ,Bacolod as a super city also means Bacolod improving garbage collection , reducing plastic pollution, and recycling waste. We shifted from a fixed-fee to a weight -based billing system , IBM ang aton garbage collector ginabayran ta sa ila sang una but still volume based was 16.5 million pesos per month tungod sa aton nga transition we are now paying 14.87Million pesos for the month of May when it started , this means a ten percent saving sa aton nga gin introduce nga system.
Siling nila nabati-an ta naman ni nga may pera kuno sa basura ini sya tuod man gid pamation ta.
Slideshow: green development
In partnership with IBM we have launched the trash to cashback , ginabakal ang basura a total of 54,053kilos biowaste and 6,694kilos of plastics have been recovered thru this program we also established 14 recycling centers around our city thru this recycling centers we have recoverd 679,628.50kilograms of waste , ara naman , ang aton masterplan para sa Bacolod Integrated Recycling and Technology Hub sa tupad sang sanitary landfill sa brgy. Felisa this central recycling complex will utilize innovative technologies to recycle at least 80% of our solid waste, this will be under a public private partnership with estimated investment of atleast 1Billion peosos. We are riding high in our program for solid waste, kun diin ang private sector is investing more in waste recovery and recycling as mandated by the new law on extended producers responsibility or RA.No. 11898 which was also champion by no less than our Third District Congressman, Cong. Kiko Benitez. Importante man ang public safety transforming Bacolod into Super city, Peace is freedom, Peace is development, Peace is everything.
Slideshow : Peace and Order
We are now under process also partnering with private sector on investing in this high-tech command center , that will not be less than atleast 2Billion pesos. Kun tawhay ang paminsaron ta wala kita gakabalak-an , wala kita hadlokan , we have more energy to work we become more productive im proud to share with you the good news , nanaog ang krimen sang aton syudad from 1,463 crime incidents in the period of JULY 2021 to JUNE 2022, nanaog ang crime incidents to 1,277 in the period of JULY 2022 to JUNE 2023 this is even lower than crime incidents antes mag pandemic which is 1,793 crime incidents in the period of JULY 2019 to JUNE 2020, I would like to commend the Bacolod city police and… city Colonel Alinio for a job well done congratulations kay tungod sa inyu nga pangabay kag pangabudlay best city police station kamo sa region 6 kag number 2 sa bilog nga Pilipinas again congratulations.
• POLICE PATROL VEHICLES TURNOVER
Full support kita sa BCPO nagbakal kita 6mitsubishi strada and 8 motorbikes para sa ila makabulig man sa atun polisan to monitor crime hotspots ang aton gina set up nga alerto Bacolod command center that we have seen earlier , this again is another milestone project , the command center will be supported by a network of 400 cctv cameras enabled by artificial intelligence nga maging mata naton sang bilog nga syudad, thru real-time video feeds we can access the situational ground and direct quick response indi na kapanago ang criminal ,ang cctv’s sa dalan makabulig monitor traffic another key component of traffic management is the vehicular volume reduction to reduce traffic congestion sa lacson which we nag experiment kita 90days gin himu ta ang Lacson ang parallel streets one way. We also implemented an intermittent truck ban along our city roads nabatygan naman ng drivers kag pasahero ang atun ginaobra but ofcourse despite all our efforts we anticipate the traffic in Bacolod will get worst in the future as more and more cars will apply our roads, the magnitude of the problem requires expertise not only in operation but also in planning , I urge the city council to reconstitute BTAO into a full fledge department with bigger staff and bigger budget to address the growing problem of traffic those are a few legislative agenda that I would like to propose to the city council. Bacolod as supercity means Bacolodnon having a comfortable life and a life of dignity and homeownership is the beginning of a life with dignity.
Ang balay isa ka basic human need kabalo gid kamo ang housing is the issue very close to my heart ang tatay ko si Joli benitez was a former deputy minister of Human Settlements ni president Ferdinand Marcos Sr. subong kami nga mga bata niya nagapadayon sang iya legacy.
Cong. Kiko is the Chairman on Committe housing and ako naman who was come from congress was instrument creation of department of human settlements and urban development.
Ginduso ko sang congresman nga pagtukod sang department human setllements para mahatagan sang desente kag barato nga balay ang aton nga mga pumuluyo ,sa liderato ni Sec. Jerry Acuzar gina implement ang pambanssang pabahay para sa Pilipino program ni president PBBM.
Slideshow: Housing
Bacolod city is the first LGU sa bilog nga Pilipinas to implement 4PH program through Joint venture agreement paagi sa joint venture with Scherman Construction amat amat na gatindog ang mga building naton sa yuhom housing by October matapos nani , we aim to build 10,000 housing units trhough this Joint venture with a total investment of 10 Billion pesos , duwa ang model sang yuhom housing nga ipatindog ta una ang lowrise building asta lang apat ka storey , kaduwa highrise building with 20 to 21 storeys, mapili kamo duwa or three bedroom inyo kwaon, now klarohon ko ini nga housing indi ni sya libre pero indi man mahal , gabayad ang beneficiary estimated 1,600 peros kada bulan under the pag-ibig program after the subsidy of our national government , ang pamangkot nga a indi libre ang balay , t bala kun napangabudlayan niyo mas palanggaon niyo , kun ginapabudlayan niyo mas indi niyo pagpabay an sa maga iban nga bagay gani hambal nila easy to get, easy to forget.
So we want to develop a strong sense of responsibility sa mga beneficiaries tagaan naton sila obligasyon para hatagan nila importansya limpyohon nila paayuhon nila ang housing unit nga gin award sa ila and this will make them have the dignity in life. Isa man ka serbisyo nga dapat naton ipaabot sa pumuluyo ang programa sang ikaayong lawas ang aton nga motto kag ang tindogan “ NO BACOLODNON SHOULD BE DENIED HEALTHCARE OR MEDICAL TREATMENT “ either tungod wala sila kwarta sa Downpayment ukon wala available bed sa hospital , it is our mission to address those issues this is why ceneterpiece agenda of my campaign and administration ang ginatawag naton Bacolod Comprehensive Health Program or BAChCHIP
Subong there are 6,517 BAChchip card holders ga target kita to enroll atleast another 70,000 more household heads or atleast 50% of total families in Bacolod , nagsugod na kita with two partner hospitals napermahan nani and MOA …..by our sangunian. Ang BACOLOD QUEEN of MERCY hospital and south Bacolod general hospital and medical center are ang duwa ka private hospital ang mausar tana ang Bachchip card.
I have just requested the city council to pass a resolution granting authority to sign with the riverside medical center who has , tapos na, now we can assume we can include ang RIVERSIDE HOSPITAL are as part of private hospital nga mabaton sng atun BACH chip card a total of 91 cardholders ang nabuligan sng BACH chip card sa ila nga hospitalization , ano man ang mahimu sang card holder kun gagutok ang mga hospital naton so to congest major hosipitals mapatindog kita mini hospital or superhealth centers, e distribute tani sa bilog nga Bacolod ang ginatawag natun nga mini hospitals or superhealth centers ini nga mga mini hospitals or superhealth center ipatindog ta sa brgy. 12, alijis, cabug, mandalagan , kag vista alegre para mas lapit ang serbisyo medical sa aton nga mga pumuluyo.
These superhealth centers will have ultrasound machine in room for minor surgery , laboratory , and ward beds a total of 135MIliion halin sa DBP loan ta ang atun gin alukar para sa mga superheah centers naton , we are also upgrading our existing temporary treatment and monitoring facility in Brgy. Vista alegre and our midway facility in Brgy. Alijis to create infirmaries with a ten bed capacity.
Indi nata maghulat ipatindog pa ang aton mini hospitals masugod nata sa duwa ka lugar.
We are also allocating 200Million pesos for the improvement of our city health complex
Amo ni nga dugai nani dapat we are promoting as well online doctor consultation thru e-consulta para indi na magkadto sa ospital kun minor complain lang , sa tanan nga healthcenters naton we will empower them with telemedicine that they can do online consultation sa ila nga barangay ang aton nga first lady misis nikki benitez has also organize series of medical operation thru nikki cares foundation that serve 393individual including 127 patients who went under major surgery . ini sya mga mahal nga surgery nga ginatubang sang aton nga pumuluyo , gakadto sa nikincares foundation para indi na magasto . indi lang mayor niyo swerte kay misis benitez swerte man ang bilog nga Bacolod ,
• SOCIAL PENSION INCREASED for BACOLOD’S SENIOR CITIZENS
Ginabuligan taman ang mga senior citizen ang Bacolod ang social pension fund for senior citizen gin increase na naton from 1,000 kada tuig to 6,000 pesos , halin sa 7,000 beneficiaries sa nagligad nga administrasyon we have tripled the number of beneficiaries to 18,300. Kun indi ko magsala there will more to come. Gusto man naton magayuhom ang aton senior citizen para angayan sa city of smiles kun sang una gabalik balik kamo pangayo certificate of indigency subong paagi sa community base monitoring system (CBMS ) ma profile naton ang tanan nga bacolodnon dulaon na naton ang certificate of indigency nga requirement tungod nga may ara na kamo profile sa app sa atun database. Masugod na nextweek ang deployments para mag survey , palihog lang ang atun survey indi niyo man pag pabudlayan kay ini para sa aton kaayuhan.
• 57,300 JOBS OFFERED IN JOB FAIRS
Since July ang PESO conducted 15 job fairs a total of 57,300 jobs were open but only 8,600 were filled kalabanan sa position nga indi ma fill were from BPO sector nga a amo ni applicants lack the skills set para sa aton BPO as we thrive to increase our economic development thru this BPO industry we have to level up also our manpower complement we have been working closely with a higher education institution and local industries to identify ano ang skills set nga kinanlan in our local job market, so are schools produce graduate with a regard skills set we need to catch up quick, we need to close the skills gap we will strengthen linkage among city government higher education and technical and vocational education institution and industry association to craft a workforce development plan to support various industry particularly the IT industry.
We need to rethink the direction of our Bacolod city college and focus its program to Reskilling and upskilling aside from this ,
We are also launching an OJT.PH or a resume.ph in partnership with colleges to ensure enrollment to employment for students these well pace flatform will facilitate internship easier job matching and job placement, makabulig ini sa graduating students nga naga pangita sang obra indi tana pagbudlayan aton estudyante nga mag pangita obra after they graduate , before graduation palang makakita na sila kag mabaton sa businesses establishment in demand ang Bacolod sa BPO ano ang rason ? kay mayo kita mag English wala heavy nga accent kay kita ta man ang bacolodnon gapangakig na indi tapa mabal an this simple fact makes the city of Bacolod a leading IT-BPO hub in a leading country, estimate there 3,000 full time BPO workers
In Bacolod, ang malambing nga boses sng bacolodnon mabatian na sang bilog nga kalibutan buut kulang pa dugangan tapa ni subong indi lang boses sang Bacolodnon ang worldwide ang matam-is nga yuhom sang Bacolod world class naman we have celebrated maskkara festival again on October2022 naman two years of hiatus beacaus eof pandemic , grandest celebration ,kuno. President Ferdinand Marcos himself described it as the most successful masskarra in history of Bacolod.
Slideshow : Tourism
Indeed, special gid ang masakarra festival 2022 ginpakita ta nga ang Bacolod naka recover na halin sa pandemic , ginpakita ta nga ang history ta tells us ang Bacolod gabangon sa trahedya. The success of Maskkara Festival 2022 has been unprecedent nag daog man kita nakita niyo sa aton tv monitors. Aliw Awards as the best festival practices and performances in the country ang iya trophy ara da sa bag o ko nga mayor’s office nag champion man ta an gang Barangay Granada perform in the Philippine Independence day parade in New York and ruinner ta nga brgy. Sum-ag nag perform man sa Busan international dance festival sa South Korea. Nagbalik na ang yuhom sa Bacolod , kag gin bahin na naton sa bilog kalibutan . indi lang yuhom ang nami sa Bacolod , ang pagkaon namit namit man ang chicken inasal festival naton sang May 26 to 28 ,2023 nag generate 2Million in sales from estimated 10,00 to 13,000 people visited ang masskara festival 2023 e kompleto ta sa ricados, indi langnaton busogon sang manamit nga pagkaon we will treat our guest from all over the world with a diverse experience that will satisfy all senses, makakanta sa concert pwede sila pabalhas sa aton sports event and pwede gid magsaot sa atun street dances . we are also preparing positioning Bacolod as a top Mice Destination I signed executive Order no.56 in December 2022 to convine the Bacolod meeting and convention board to market our City as location for conferences and event and ensure grant of incentives and assistance to organizers ,nakarecover nagid ang Mice Sector ta already we are hosting 2 to 3 conventions per month since April 2023 , for the first quarter of 2023 local tourist arrivals at 177,298 have exceeded the pre pandemic figure 171,674 in the same period in 2019 and to locate, which means there are more people now visiting city of Bacolod. All these reforms and innovation are gaining the interest of investors to locate their business and expand their existing operations in Bacolod. we are making it easy and more profitable to do business in Bacolod.
Data from the treasurer’s office shows that local revenue for the first quarter of 2023 amounted to 1.08Billion this is a 24 increase in tax collection compare to the same period last year if we compare this sang pre pandemic collection ang 2023 first collection has already exceeded the collection for the entire 2019. Reports generated from BPLO and MITCS also show gross reported sales of registered business in Bacolod increasing by 35.31% from a pre-pandemic figure of 87.78Billion in JULY 2018 to JUNE 2019 to our post-pandemic gross sales of 118.78Billion pesos in the equal period of July 2022 to June 2023.
Itshows a huge business confidence in our city today for the same period business renewal increase by 6.41% and business expansion increased by 57.38% pamatyagan ko mataas pani.
we may be seeing a golden age of construction in Bacolod city application for locational clearance from July 2022 to June 2023 cover a total of 94 hectares with an estimate aggregate cost of 2.7Billion pesos 80hectares of this are aton nga upper east megaworld , Rockwell kag ang sm sa Bredco , we are planning man and as of now speaking the new owners of old Bacolod airport which they would like in the future to develop this will be our new growth centers our new townships, mga bag o nga business districts that will catilise job creation and open up new streamsof income for the city.
maka parevitalize man ang banago port area kay ginaduso ang Bacolod victorias coastal road ni Cong. Greg and Cong. KIko. This will start form Banago port and stretch 41.44km up to Victorias, kun indi ko gani magsala masugod ni sa sum-ag ang aton nga costal road and maagi ni sya sa aton nga Banago port all the way to Victorias city this will congest the Bacolod north road and mitigate flooding in our coastal barangays . Best of luck sa aton nga mga Congressman . We are counting on you.
We are also helping micro small medium enterprises ang PESO ginacapacitate ang MSMEs so far a total of 92 MSMEs have been trained and will be granted an additional capitalization from the small business corporation an attached agency of the DTI , to promote all forms and sizes of Business of Bacolod I urge the City Council to pass an ordinance that will elevate the existing local economic development and investment promotion office into a full pledge again into a department that will market Bacolod as a prime investment destination strengthening investor relation and the sign and implement program to support local enterprise.
Tapos na? lapit na lang.
This investment promotion office will facilitate a green lane for investors to expedite the processing of business permit and other clearances similar to the green lanes for strategic investment grated under the executive Order No. 18 series of 2023 issued by no less the President himself last February . I have also given instruction to the city of Administrator as well to draft an Executive Order creating an external affairs office to strengthen the link between city government and the international financial intstitution , international NGO’s and donor agencies as well as mga bacolodnon OFW communities abroad , and i like to welcome our grand marshall sang Phippine independce day Dr. Meligo who is here with us thank you mam for a very warm welcome when we visited new York city during the Philippine independence day and because of that the external office is also one vehicle were people are kasimanwa from other countries can access can be able to collaborate, coordinate with the city of Bacolod through this uni grated external office.
Dalagko man or gamay nga negosyante buligan ta to a certain extent even people outside of Bacolod City buligan ta man we need to collaborate with the provincial of government negros occidental and other LGU’s in the province we need to collaborate with LGU’s across the guimaras straight not only Iloilo city but other city in the provinces in panay and guimaras.
We are all part of regional eco system we share workforce we buy each other’s products increasingly we will depend on other areas for a water supply because underground acquifers are already oversubscribed, we will source our food from other places as urbanizations creeps in to our agricultural lands. We may be an independent highly urbanized city but independence does not mean isolation Bacolod is not an island it is therefore necessary that we go beyond our borders because we need to reach out to peers and partners, the fact that we have the provincial government tonight is a testimony that ang relationship naton with our neighbors are very good.
May ara gapamangkot diin si Albee, nga a wala si Albee let the investments will bring back to Bacolod to be the answer to their questions . We were lucky to be invited to join state visits president of China and Japan , we were given opportunity to pitch Bacolod as an investment destination to investors as we speak right now of those soon materialized as there is already intent to put up an Electric vehicle manufacturing plant to the them let our success be the answer to their questions.
Of course success does not happen overnight its like steering a big ship it takes time to turn , change after all is a process indi lang procedural change ang ginaobra ta but bag ohon ta polisopiya kag ang panggobyerno . Change is not only procedural but change is also in our social norms , change in our mindset , the road to change is not without obstruction resistance or challenge as I have said before if we want change its starts with it , masugod sa aton kaugalingon but we remain steadfast in our commitment change are behavior and our culture governance in Bacolod city we will remain vigilant but all of these I cannot do it alone kinanlan ko ang inyo supporta, kinanlan ko ang inyo cooperasyon . im very thankful for the cooperation of City Council sa inyo nga panagabudlay congratulations man kay Vice El Cid kag sa aton nga councilors for an outstanding record of 39 city ordinances, 10 appropriation ordinaces , and 1,484 Resolutions . madamo nga salamat sinyo . we do not need superman to become a Supercity Ordinary people coming together can achieve extraordinary things the key to our success is unity purpose , unity in action . today , I shared may vision to Bacolod City and our Accomplishments. Kapag samasama kayang kaya , padayon kita pagupdanai para sap ag sanyo sang atun pinalangga nga syudad. Para sa asenso , mabatygan niyo man ang wheels of change mabskog an gang hangin sang Bacolod. Mabskog ang hangin sa pag bag-o sa syudad sang Bacolod.
The city and the state of City is strong and it will be stronger. the best of Bacolod is yet to come.
Slideshow:
May confession ko nga himuon sa inyo tanan nga videos nakita niyo is only one day kay ginalagas langni namon after attended the SOCA sang Victorias, though I hope nanamian man kamo . sa inyo nga tanan madamo gid nga salamat . kag maayong gab e
Read our 2023 report here. https://dnx.news/first-365-days-of-change-and-dreaming-big-albee-reports-today-to-bosses/
