It's official. The DILG has declared Bacolod City the best performing city in the Western Visayas.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1087855 |
The City of Bacolod continues its winning streak after being named as the “Best Performing LGU (Local Government Unit)-City Category in Western Visayas” by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) for 2019.
“This proves the efficiency and responsiveness of government machinery and the vibrancy of the economy and the city in general,” the mayor said in a statement on Tuesday night.
Aside from being the champion in Best in Performing City Category, Bacolod also received five special awards in the five areas of governance.
These included champion in Excellence in Local Legislation, Excellence in Administrative Governance, and Excellence in Environmental Governance as well as first runner-up in Excellence in Social Governance and Excellence in Economic Governance.
The EXCELL awards were among the top honors received by Bacolod this year, after being recognized as the Top Philippine Model City 2019 by The Manila Times in September, and recipient of the Seal of Good Local Governance Award for 2019, also from the DILG in November.
“This is an exceptional year. The awards and recognitions bestowed upon our city have been most inspiring,” Leonardia said.
Bacolod has also been declared the best performing Highly Urbanised City or HUC in the Western Visayas.
These awards really say nothing about the city itself. Bacolod City is in bad shape but despite this they have been able to snag quite a lot of companies willing to invest in the city. Ayala mall opened last year, 888 expanded a few years ago, Mega World is building a huge mini city downtown as well as housing developments outside of town. Truly there is a lot of growth and it seems to be malls! As if Bacolod needs more malls. And all of this growth is despite all the faults of Bacolod.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1088922 |
On Monday, this city was recognized for topping two out of the four pillars -- Economic Dynamism and Infrastructure -- in the 3rd Recognition Ceremony for Competitive Local Government Units (LGUs) held at Hotel del Rio in Iloilo City.
Mayor Evelio Leonardia, who was represented by Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran in receiving the awards, said in a statement the recognition shows that Bacolod has an environment conducive for businesses to grow.
“Our efforts to make the city business-friendly are now reaping fruits,” he added.
Bacolod and Iloilo competed in the same category, being the only two HUCs in Western Visayas.It's not much of a contest when there are only two competitors.
These awards really say nothing about the city itself. Bacolod City is in bad shape but despite this they have been able to snag quite a lot of companies willing to invest in the city. Ayala mall opened last year, 888 expanded a few years ago, Mega World is building a huge mini city downtown as well as housing developments outside of town. Truly there is a lot of growth and it seems to be malls! As if Bacolod needs more malls. And all of this growth is despite all the faults of Bacolod.
What faults you ask? How about all the flooding which happens every single year. No matter how much construction happens the city continues to flood. The fact that Bacolod does not enforce R.A. 9003, the garbage law, has a lot to do with this.
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| http://www.visayandailystar.com/2019/May/27/topstory5.htm |
Clogged drainage systems due to garbage caused flooding along Lacson Street and other part of Bacolod City during a heavy downpour last week, Bacolod Rep. Greg Gasataya said yesterday.
Gasataya said that because of the garbage, flood waters cannot flow down the drain. But when the garbage was removed, the water on the streets started to flow down the drainage system.
He said he requested the DPWH to continue its declogging operations of the drainage systems to prevent flooding.The DPWH has been working all over the city with flood projects. Just last year Gasataya said flooding would be a thing of the past because of the big project along Lacson.
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| https://watchmendailyjournal.com/2018/07/07/gasataya-flooded-main-roads-will-thing-past/ |
Bacolod City lone district Rep. Greg Gasataya yesterday affirmed flooding along the city’s main roads will “soon be a thing of the past,” attributing his projection to the ongoing flood control project along Lacson Street.All the flood control pipes in the world will do no good if they are clogged with garbage and Bacolod City is awash in garbage like any other city in the Philippines. So it's pretty baffling that the city won an award for Excellence in Environmental Governance. I have written at length about my issues with the Bacolod sanitation department. Fact is the city does not enforce the garbage law, R.A. 9003.
The flooding is not just limited to the streets. Here are picture of SM Mall flooded on November 26th, 2019.
I'm sure SM being flooded is good for business right?
Another issue plaguing Bacolod City is the infrastructure. In particular traffic lights. They are not always on. Many times they are off and you are lucky if a traffic enforcer is there to direct traffic.
Another issue plaguing Bacolod City is the infrastructure. In particular traffic lights. They are not always on. Many times they are off and you are lucky if a traffic enforcer is there to direct traffic.
The situation pictured above was complete chaos. No lights. No enforcer. On December 9th there were multiple locations where the traffic lights were not working.
The traffic lights should never go off and yet with alarming regularity they do. How is that good governance? What is the city doing to keep the traffic flowing? It would seem they are dragging their feet.
Persistent flooding despite the seemingly continual road work and the traffic lights regularly not functioning are just two real problems with Bacolod City which the city says they are addressing but reality tells us they are not. Finally let's not forget that Mayor Bing Leonardia has been indicted by the Ombudsman.
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| https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1804959 |
THE Office of the Ombudsman has found a probable cause to file criminal complaints against Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia and two others in relation to the P49-million cash advances of fuel in 2008.
The decision dated September 26, 2018 was signed by Graft Investigator and Prosecutor Officer II Carl Vincent Sasuman and was approved by Ombudsman Samuel Martires on March 1, 2019.
The complainant was the Field Investigation Office, Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas and it was originally filed by Sara Esguerra, Othello Ramos and two others in 2009.
For his part, City Legal Officer Joselito Bayatan said that as early as May 6, they heard some reports that Batapa-Segue will be calling for a press conference with Puentevella.
"Personally, I'm so excited because I thought that it will be a press conference of her platform of government because we've never heard or see her platform but, it turns out that she calls for a press conference to be a 'mongerer'," he said.
Bayatan pointed out that this is more of political desperate move of Batapa-Sigue, and she is just looking for issues.
"She should rather call for a press conference, since the election time is fast approaching, for her platform of government and she should not appear to be among the 'mongerer'," Bayatan said.
He said they never take this case as an issue, adding that it is an order of the Ombudsman and it has a long way to go.
Bayatan noted that they can still file a motion for reconsideration or they can go even further in the Supreme Court because nothing is final.
Bayatan said this issue cannot affect the political campaign of Mayor Leonardia because the people of Bacolod always look on the performance of the mayor.
"He's a working mayor and for sure, the people had seen the merit of the mayor's performance. We don't worry about this case and we never even considered it as an issue. Ombudsman case is common to a performer," he said.
City Legal Officer Bayatan brushed off this revelation when it was made earlier this year by Leonardia's opponent in the mayoral race. He called her desperate and that she was just looking for issues. As if being charged with graft to the tune of P49 million is not an issue! While he has not been convicted and the case likely won't be resolved for years the fact that the mayor has been indicted ought to be a concern for everyone.
What is really happening behind the scenes in the government? Last time I was at City Hall you could see in each office that people were sitting idle playing with their phones. Economic growth is good but for who? For Ayala and Mega World certainly. For the people? Well they need a city that won't flood when it rains and traffic lights that work more than they need a new mall.
What is really happening behind the scenes in the government? Last time I was at City Hall you could see in each office that people were sitting idle playing with their phones. Economic growth is good but for who? For Ayala and Mega World certainly. For the people? Well they need a city that won't flood when it rains and traffic lights that work more than they need a new mall.
Check out Surigao City. They have traffic lights but never turn them on until December. When asked why one told me because after the city paid for a study, took bidding and had them installed they figured out they could not afford the electric bill for them. Last time I was there they only had 2 traffic lights.
ReplyDeleteAny other country if I was told the city could not afford to pay electric for traffic lights I would think they were joking. But in this country, well you know. I smell kick backs on the lights being installed and the monthly budget going into elected private accounts.