THE City Government of Bacolod is waiting for President Rodrigo Duterte to sign the House Bill (HB) No. 7044 declaring June 18 as Bacolod City’s Charter Day.
Mayor Evelio Leonardia along with Congressman Greg Gasataya, Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, Councilors Caesar Distrito, Cindy Rojas, Em Ang, Bartolome Orola, Renecito Novero, Elmer Sy, Lady Gles Gonzales and Ayesha Villaflor, City Administrator John Orola, City Legal Officer Joselito Bayatan and Executive Assistant Samuel Montoyo, held a press conference yesterday at the Government Center to thank the legislators for the approval of the bill.
On Monday, the Senate unanimously approved on third and final reading the proposed Bacolod City Charter Day bill.
Twenty senators voted in favor of the House Bill (HB) No. 7044 declaring June 18 as Bacolod City’s Charter Day. This also means the city’s inauguration will be commemorated every October 19 while the highlights of the MassKara Festival will be celebrated every fourth Sunday of October.
There was no opposition and abstention.
“We are very happy that the bill is now a law pending the signature of the President and we will not pre-empt that. After 80 years, we will now have our history in proper order,” Leonardia said.
He reiterated the City Government will “give due recognition to October 19 as the day we inaugurated our city officials. But we must distinguish which day was our city created and which day it was inaugurated.”
Gasataya said as a main author of the bill, he is grateful that the legislators able to realize that from the very start, they are on the right track.
“We have the legal basis to put things in the proper and correct perspective,” he said.
Familiaran said HB 7044 was filed by Gasataya on June 13, 2017, upon the request of Mayor Leonardia with the support of the City Council.
“We are all optimistic that the Republic Act (RA) 7724 will be amended setting October 19 as Charter Day. It was clear that President Manuel L. Quezon signed Commonwealth Act 326 creating Bacolod as a city on June 18, 1938 and October 19 was the inauguration of then mayor Alfredo Montelibano Sr.,” he said.
Councilors Rojas, Ang, Distrito, Novero, Orola, Gonzales, Villaflor and Sy said the truth shall always prevail and it’s the time to celebrate that June 18 is the City’s Charter Day.
They added that once the bill will be signed by the President and it becomes a law, June 18 will become a non-working holiday in Bacolod City. (MAP)