This Week in Bacolod (April 1 to April 7, 2018)

The weather is going to be good throughout the week. Partly sunny to mostly cloudy skies with a low chance of little afternoon rains will be experienced over Bacolod City in the first week of April. Minimum temperature will be at 23 °C while maximum temperature will be at 34 °C [1]. As such, the public is advised to bring umbrellas or caps to be protected from the heat of the sun. It is also advisable to have a bottle of water in hand to keep hydrated.

Bacolod Traffic Authority Office (BTAO) is urged by the city council to strictly implement a 2006 ordinance on regulating electric-tricycles (e-trikes) in terms of their plate numbers, insurance, and registration as transport for hire [2]. The author of the ordinance, Bacolod City Councilor Wilson Gamboa Jr., said that e-trikes should follow the same process for tricycles in securing permits and licenses at the Permits and Licensing Office.

Aboitiz Group’s infrastructure unit recently submitted a proposal to modernize, operate, and maintain four regional airports for 35 years [3]. One of the four airports included in the PhP148-billion proposal is Bacolod-Silay Airport. Alongside it are Iloilo International Airport, Laguindingan Airport, and New Bohol International Airport in Panglao, Bohol. Should this proposal be approved, the group will start improving the operations and passenger experience of the said airports by 2019 to the benefit of tourists and travelers.

The Bacolod City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO) will inspect all the resorts in the city to ensure their compliance in an ordinance that requires the hiring of certified lifeguards in preparation for summer. Violators will face imprisonment and fines depending on the level of offense, with the cancellation of business permits as the gravest punishment. This means that tourists can go to any resort in the city without worrying for their safety especially when swimming [4].

Mt. Kanlaon Volcano remains to be on the alert level since last year according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) [5]. The public is advised to undergo whole-scale evacuation, particularly those living in La Castellana, Canlaon City, Pontevedra, La Carlota, Moises Padilla, Hinigaran, Isabela, Binalbagan and Himamaylan City.

Consequently, hiking is prohibited and tourists looking to hike Mt. Kanlaon are advised to visit other summer destinations in the province such as the sugar beaches instead. It is also advisable to avoid the places mentioned above for safety purposes.