THE City Government of Bacolod turned over Tuesday, January 21, the P5-million covered court to the Vista Alegre-Granada Relocation Elementary School (Vagres) in Barangay Vista Alegre, Bacolod City.
The turnover rites were held in Progreso Village, Barangay Vista Alegre led by Mayor Evelio Leonardia, Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, Councilor Israel Salanga, barangay officials, and the Department of Education (DepEd).
Mayor Evelio Leonardia said this is one of the biggest covered courts in public schools in Bacolod.
“This one deserves it because this is our relocation site and as a matter of priority and policy of our administration, we want to develop this area. We want to improve the relocation site with proper planning,” he said.
He said the City Government earlier allotted P350 million for the improvement of the relocation site and once it will be completed, things will change for the better in the relocation area.
Leonardia noted it is their dream to improve the area in terms of their facilities or to improve it like a township.
“We are hoping that someday we can develop areas here that can become business centers like the factory because we have manpower here,” Leonardia said.
The Progreso Village sits on an 88-hectare property in Barangay Vista Alegre that the City Government, under the Leonardia administration, constructed more than 11 years ago from the Abada-Escay and Arao families.
The Leonardia administration constructed Vagres six months after opening the then Vista Alegre-Granada Relocation Site.
Meanwhile, Leonardia also led the ceremonial distribution of school supplies at Vagres.
The city will provide free school supplies to all the public elementary pupils.
Leonardia said the school supplies which costs P13 million will be distributed to almost 68,000 students in Bacolod.
The fund was taken from the 2019 budget.
In 2018, the City Government provided school supplies such as pencil, ballpens, notebook, paper, crayons, ruler and bag to all pupils from grades one to six in all public elementary schools.
In 2016, the City Council approved the ordinance providing free educational materials to all students of public elementary schools in Bacolod, which was authored by Councilor Caesar Distrito.
Gladys Amylaine Sales, officer-in-charge Schools Division Superintendent, said they are thankful to Mayor Leonardia for providing free school supplies for students.
She said they failed to receive it last year because of the election.