This Week in Bacolod (July 7 to 13, 2019)

This week’s weather is expected to be a combination of sun and thunderstorm, giving Bacolod a warm air. A stray thunderstorm will develop in the middle of the week until the weekend. Bacolodnons are encouraged to keep their rain gears handy all the time since showers are predicted to fall every afternoon. The temperature this week will range from 30 °C to 32 °C [1].

To address the traffic problem in Bacolod City, Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran said the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the members of the City Development Council (CDC) discussed recommendations.

The MMDA recommended to hire additional traffic enforcers and to reroute some public utility vehicles. They also suggested to install traffic lights and pedestrian walks in 30 out of 12 intersections and to construct a center island along Barangay Pahanocoy Highway. Amending the traffic ordinances, including penalties for the anti-jaywalking ordinance, is also in their plans for implementation [2].

Familiaran said that once the CDC approves a resolution, it will be forwarded to the City Council for ratification.

The privatization of the Bacolod-Silay Airport is in the works, as confirmed by outgoing House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

She mentioned that Udenna Infrastructure Corporation has submitted an unsolicited proposal to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines for the expansion of the airport runway. The expansion includes airport and maintenance operation [3]. Another foreign company has contested the proposal.

Ten councilors have given Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia leave to sign the contract for the construction of the proposed MassKara Coliseum [4]. The contract is between the city government and Jejors Construction and is worth PhP800 million.

This priority project will be funded by the P1.7-billion loan from the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP).

For more updates on Bacolod, go to Yoorekka.