THE City Government of Bacolod will operate the floating restaurant in Barangay Sum-ag in September.
City Administrator John Orola confirmed this Tuesday, July 16, saying the floating restaurant is already finished and they are only waiting for the completion of the requirements for its operation.
"We need to follow the procedure and we will comply the requirements of the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) as well as the Management Audit Services Office (Maso)," he said.
It is also part of the city's requirements to secure a Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) certificate to ensure that the floating restaurant is river-worthy.
Orola said the project's budget was taken from the City Planning Development Office, and it was originally planned by Mayor Evelio Leonardia in 2013 with the cooperation with the Department of Tourism (DOT).
Orola said the DOT already built the two-story tourism information center in the river bank in Barangay Sum-ag.
"It was an agreement that DOT will build a tourism information center while the floating restaurant will be shouldered by the City Government. We need a tourism attraction because we don't have tourism attraction like the other cities and municipalities that they have natural attractions, so we have to create something that is different," he said.
He said the city's tourism attraction program will also provide a livelihood to the residents in the said barangays.
Orola said the floating restaurant will traverse in the river banks of Barangays Sum-ag and Cabug, and it will be maintained by the residents of Barangay Sum-ag.