Familiaran respects Poe’s opinion on MassKara Coliseum

BACOLOD City Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran said on Thursday, March 14, that he respects the opinion of Senator Grace Poe on the construction of Bacolod MassKara Coliseum in the city.

Poe, who was in Bacolod City early this week, questioned one of the city’s priority projects, the Bacolod MassKara Coliseum worth P800 million.

Poe said that Bacolod City, given its large population, should have its own hospital.

“Why a coliseum? Build a hospital instead,” she said.

“It’s her opinion. Maybe she doesn’t know the annual budget of Bacolod City, if we’re the same with Makati City or Metro Manila. We can’t afford to build and manage a hospital,” Familaran said.

He said the City Government could not afford the hospital and its attached expenses for maintenance, personnel, equipment, among others.

“But if they mean a small hospital, we already have a lying-in clinic which was managed by the City Government in partnership with the Riverside Hospital,” the vice mayor continued.

It can be recalled that a civil complaint involving the P1.7 billion loan, which will fund the city’s four flagship projects, was filed in January.

This was a month after the City Council ratified the loan agreement and continuing deed of assignment with a hold-out agreement between the City Government and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP).

Named respondents were Mayor Evelio Leonardia; Familiaran; Councilors Caesar Distrito, Cindy Rojas, Renecito Novero, Em Ang, Elmer Sy, Ana Marie Palermo, Dindo Ramos, Bartolome Orola, Sonya Verdeflor, Lady Gles Gonzales-Pallen and Ayesha Joy Villaflor; City Council Secretary Vicente Petierre III; City Treasurer Giovanni Balalilhe; City Budget Officer Maria Imelda Williams; City Accountant Corazon Cardel; and DBP Negros Occidental Lending Center head Bernardo Catillion Jr.

It was former vice mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson, former councilor Jocelle Batapa-Sigue and businessman Antonio Wong, who filed the civil case for certiorari, prohibition and annulment of contract with a prayer for a temporary restraining order, preliminary injunction, and/or preliminary mandatory injunction.

The other three projects are the development of Progreso Village Relocation Site worth P350 million, Bacolod City College site development and facilities at P350 million and construction of roads and bridges worth P200 million. (MAP)

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