Leonardia lauds honorary mayor for ‘new dawn’ in Bacolod City at opening of ‘road to recovery’

BACOLOD. City Mayor Evelio Leonardia (left) and Megaworld Visayas Vice President for Sales and Marketing Jennifer Palmares-Fong on the sidelines of the opening of Upper East Avenue within the firm’s 34-hectare township project in the eastern part of the city that used to be the Bacolod-Murcia Milling Company compound on Friday evening, April 29. (Contributed photo)
BACOLOD. City Mayor Evelio Leonardia (left) and Megaworld Visayas Vice President for Sales and Marketing Jennifer Palmares-Fong on the sidelines of the opening of Upper East Avenue within the firm’s 34-hectare township project in the eastern part of the city that used to be the Bacolod-Murcia Milling Company compound on Friday evening, April 29. (Contributed photo)

“HE BECAME the most functional honorary mayor we ever had.”

This was said by Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia as he lauded Andrew Tan, founder and chief executive officer of property giant Megaworld Corp., for bringing in more investments to the Negros Occidental capital city.

Leonardia, who spoke at the opening of Upper East Avenue within the 34-hectare township project of Megaworld in the eastern part of the city that used to be the Bacolod-Murcia Milling Company compound, said Tan is not just another investor but an honorary mayor of Bacolod.

“Thank you to Dr. Andrew for giving us a new dawn in Bacolod,” he noted.

Megaworld earlier announced that it is increasing its capital spending for its township developments in Bacolod City to P45 billion, particularly in The Upper East, as it ramps up construction activities inside the township also located near the Bacolod Government Center.

In 2015, the firm announced that it is pouring in P35 billion to develop two townships in Negros Occidental for a period of 10 years.

The firm’s investment included the Upper East Avenue, which is an eight-lane main avenue inside The Upper East, which Leonardia considers the “most beautiful” avenue in the city.

Connecting Lopez Jaena Street to Carlos Hilado Highway, the kilometer-long avenue is positioned to ease traffic congestion on Burgos Street.

Calling it "the road to recovery,” the mayor said the opening means a lot for the Bacoldonons.

“This means so much for us, more than the physical looks that it has. The symbolism is that Bacolod City indeed has arrived,” Leonardia said.

He said, “it was a dream to think of having a boulevard and all these modern buildings and other and even more important symbolism is the fact that it represents for us our graduation from coronavirus disease (Covid-19).”

“So this for us means that this is going to represent our road to recovery. For us the essence of this opening tells us that we are now towards that good time in Bacolod that was for a while distracted because of Covid,” he added.

For the mayor, it is a necessity not only just for the traffic “but for us to say that we are now on the road to recovery. “

Leonardia believed that if they can open Megaworld all the rest will follow.

“After the two years that we have to suffer because of the pandemic we are now coming back with a vengeance, this is not just a rebound but more than that,” he said.

For Megaworld, the opening marks an important milestone for The Upper East as it showcases the kilometer-long stretch of the township with several areas having simultaneous construction activities.

“Soon, we will also begin the construction of our commercial developments in this township. Indeed, exciting times are ahead in The Upper East,” Megaworld Visayas Vice President for Sales and Marketing Jennifer Palmares-Fong said.

Secondary roads within The Upper East, which will be at least 20-meters wide, are also now being completed.

There will also be an extensive network of bike lanes inside the township to help promote efficient and convenient mobility.

Continuing its rise as the city’s first master-planned mixed-use community, The Upper East will soon have its own Megaworld Lifestyle Mall, commercial parks, hotel, church and other institutional and recreational facilities, she added.

Leonardia earlier expressed elation to the Megaworld management headed Tan for heeding Bacolod's call for support to its post-Covid-19 economic recovery program.

"We would like to express our deep appreciation to Mr. Andrew Tan for heeding Bacolod's call that the company pours in more investments in the city,” he said, adding that “they have been keeping their commitment of support and we sincerely thank them for that.”

Trending

No stories found.

Just in

No stories found.

Branded Content

No stories found.
SunStar Publishing Inc.
www.sunstar.com.ph