Two Negros cities spending billions as dead season starts in Sugarlandia

BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines – This highly-urbanized center and its neighboring city of Silay are rolling out big-ticket projects worth a combined total of P5.8 billion in public spending as the dead season, when money circulation slows down, sets over Sugarlandia.

Both cities have taken out loans from government-owned banks to finance these projects, most of which involve infrastructure, that are expected to start in the following months.

Mayor Albee Benitez here has rolled out a series of projects that will be funded using the P4.4 billion loan sourced from the Development Bank of the Philippines that has the following major projects based on the breakdown submitted to the DBP:

1. Landbanking for various development projects of City Hall – up to P1.5 billion
2. Construction of legislative building – up to P515 million
3. Construction/improvement of mini hospitals for five barangays – up to P135 million
4. Rehabilitation!/improvement of old City Hall – up to P223 million
5. Improvement/rehabilitation of public markets – up to P525 million
6. Construction/improvements of various roads – up to P270 million
7. Construction/improvement of various drainages – up to P300 million
8. Asphalt overlay of various roads – up to P50 million
9. Construction of Bacolod warehouse – up to P67. 9 million
10. Construction of City Engineering motorpool area – up to P30.8 million
11. Improvement of tree park at Barangay Alangilan – up to P47 million
12. Construction of Pedestrian Mall – up to P50 million
13. Construction/improvement of City Health Complex – up to P220 million
14. Recovery and Recycling Complex and Eco Park – up to P103 million
15. Furniture and equipment – up to P279.3 million
16. Construction/installation of power generating system of various barangays and BCGC – up to P100 million
17. Construction of traffic signalization – up to P25 million

In Silay City, 27 kilometers north of here, sitting Mayor Joedith Gallego told DNX four priority projects of his administration will include the building of a city college worth P300 million to be funded through a loan from the Landbank of the Philippines.

Two other projects, each worth P300 million, are the building of a sports complex, and the renovation of the public market.

A bigger project is the construction of a new City Hall that will cost P500 million, Gallego added.

Gallego said the city will soon have its own college that will initially offer five basic courses, mostly technical and vocational.

‘Education is important to improve the lives of our people,” Gallego also said.

The new chief executive said he believes the projects can ease the impact of the dead season or the off season in the sugar industry that lasts from May to August of the year.

Work slows down in the sugarcane fields during this period when the sugarcanes are allowed to grow.