Saturday, February 23, 2008 Silay mayor: 'We like Bacolod as it is' By Gil Alfredo B. Severino
FEELING the 'bustling' of investment offers and the 'earth moving' after the Bacolod-Silay Airport had been opened, City Mayor of Silay Jose "Oti" Montelibano publicly declared Thursday that a monthly planning session will be held to continuously update their City Development Plan.
The plan, Montelibano stressed, must be both attraction and accommodation of investors. "They come individually and as groups and in all categories. They are now here, apparently choosing Silay instead of Bacolod."
Montelibano candidly remarked, "If this so, then we like Bacolod City to remain as it is so that investors will come."
Counting some 60 to 70 participants at the scenic Sunburst Bay Resort, Montelibano said, "Silay must be competitive and that a serious infrastructure plan must be put in place both to attract and accommodate investors."
Among the infrastructure supports that Montelibano presented are road networks, flyovers and an international seaport.
"Surveys had already been conducted in Balaring and the sea depth is very ideal, much better than the coasts of Bacolod City," Montelibano said.
Having 12,000- hectares of agricultural land, Montelibano added that Silay would go ahead with the plan of Governor Marañon to construct the irrigation highway.
"Silay has the best water system in the province and the Malogo River can be dam and E.B. Magalona will benefit from this irrigation system," he added.
Meanwhile, Nathaniel Von Einsiedel, a professional urban planner and Chief Operating Officer of Concep, Inc., proposed certain principles for Silay to follow.
Starting with 'Self-Awareness,' Einsiedil stressed that Silaynons should be the first one to know that many of the Negrense cuisine are manufactured in Silay.
"Bacolod for example pride itself of it 'infocenters,' but if traffic systems becomes terrible, then investors will likely transfer to other places. Silay must be careful with such problems," Einsiedil warned.
Economist and consultant to the Asian Development Bank for Local Economic Development Jose Antonio League said as he was reading the draft plan of Silay, it is even better than how Makati started under Mayor Jejomar Binay.
"Montelibano is not just particular with infrastructures but even locational programs. The plan was clear as to where it starts, what is in between the airport to the river, what is in the river, and so on. This is what we call locational programming," League said.
Einsiedel and League are both consultants to the Silay Development Plan.
