THE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will open its permanent office in Bacolod City on Friday, November 23.

“This is the only SEC local office in the country created by legislation and we give the credit to then Congressman Evelio ‘Bing’ Leonardia,” said Gerardo del Rosario, director of SEC company registration and monitoring department.

“This was conceptualized to serve our corporate and business sectors and create a climate conducive for business to grow.

It is also aimed to improve the ease of doing business in Bacolod and Negros Island. And eventually it will provide inclusive growth,” Leonardia explained on how his bill would impact the area.

Del Rosario led the delegation, composed of Human Resource and Administrative Department director Romuald Padilla, training officer Diana Elvina Cortes, and legal counsel Ma. Cristina Montelibano, who visited the Bacolod City Government Center recently to formally announce the SEC Bacolod opening.

Leonardia’s bill was passed into law in the 16th Congress as Republic Act No. 10785, otherwise known as “SEC Bacolod Office Law.”

“This means that no matter who will run the SEC, the Bacolod office is here to stay as a permanent office. This will not be subjected to administrative policy changes. Its existence will even be more stable than any other field office in the country,” the mayor said. (PR)