BACOLOD CITY — Mayor Evelio Leonardia urged city officials to cooperate in steering Bacolod towards further development as the city celebrates its 80th Charter Anniversary this year.
“My wish is to accelerate the growth and prosperity of Bacolod City,” the mayor said in an interview after his 66th birthday celebration at SMX Convention Center Bacolod on Tuesday.
“It would be a regret if the growth cannot be sustained. There is no doubt about it, Bacolod is moving forward, (it) is accelerating. The more reason now that we should take care of it,” the mayor said.
In his address, Leonardia pointed out that he believes Bacolod “has gone a long, long way”.
“Definitely, we have grown so big. This city is marching towards growth, development and prosperity, but we can only sustain that if our city officials, our congressman, and all of us will work together for the good of Bacolod City,” he said.
“I appeal to everyone to work together so we can reach our dreams for the city. We are doing this for the sake of our children,” the mayor said, adding that despite some stumbling blocks, everyone must help “to make Bacolod one of the best cities, not only in the Philippines, but also in Asia”.
Along with his speech, Leonardia gave a presentation on the recent major developments in Bacolod in terms of tourism, property developments, infrastructure projects, among others.
“This is some kind of a preview of my State of the City Address. I just feel that it is my moral obligation as I’m celebrating my birthday to report to our people to show that this is worth celebrating,” he said.
The mayor noted the presence of the country’s major property firms as a sign of investors’ confidence in Bacolod.
Property giants with developments in Bacolod include SM Prime Holdings Inc., Ayala Land Inc., Robinsons Land Corp., Megaworld Corp., Double Dragon Properties Corp. and Cebu Landmasters Inc. (Nanette Guadalquiver/PNA)
