NEGROS Occidental Provincial Administrator Atty. Rayfrando Diaz II clarified yesterday, September 8 that their consultancy at the Bacolod City government is pro-bono (for free).
Diaz said that their doing this of "Gratis et amore" or for their love of Mayor Alfredo Abelardo "Albee" Benitez and the highly urbanized city.
"We do not claim to solve everything but we are there to help one hundred percent regardless if we are busy here (at the provincial government). If we are required to do some advise to the mayor, we are obliged to come to him," Diaz explained.
Benitez is asking the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Bacolod City for an authority to sign the proposed consultancy agreements between the City Government of Bacolod and Diaz as consultant for administrative matters and systems review.
The accord also designates Atty. Valerie Ann Hollero as consultant for health insurance and healthcare; Dr. Mary Ann Maestral as consultant for health and hospital concerns; and Lucille Gelvolea as consultant for special projects and economic affairs.
Gelvolea is the Economic Enterprise Development Department (EEDD) head of Negros Occidental while Maestral is the chief of hospital of Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City.
"That is the wisdom of the mayor to ask for our consultancy and we are only advisory to him. He trusts our integrity, our capacity and our experience in government,” the provincial administrator said.
He emphasized that no one should question Benitez if he asks help.
“We from the objective side, we can see and suggest if we have something to suggest and if it's accepted by the mayor and it's also instrumental in improving the system of Bacolod City so much the better because the thrust of the city and province are almost the same,” Diaz noted.
He cited similar visions of the province and city in terms of business and digitization, among others.
It will also pave the way for the province and city to compare resources which Bacolod can also avail of.
Saying that there are still a lot of aspects that Bacolod City should improve, Diaz said they want to help.
Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson has been informed of the designations in Bacolod City of the provincial government’s key officials and he has no oppositions to it.
The City of Bacolod doesn't need to duplicate the province’s programs but they can tap the provincial government if they want to emulate.
“So from where we are now, Bacolod City will only need additional improvement," Diaz said.
"I'll listen to the mayor (of Bacolod)... There's only one mayor. So regardless of the interest,” he assured.