No 'Lights of Bago' in 2023 due to budget cut

BAGO City Mayor Nicholas Yulo said Tuesday, November 29, 2022, that there will be no "Lights of Bago" on January 1, 2023.

Yulo said this is one of the programs which will be affected by the 15 percent reduction of the city"s National Tax Allotment (NTA) for next year.

The reduction would amount to P250 million.

The mayor, however, assured the people of the city that their basic services would not be affected by the NTA cut.

The "Lights of Bago" which is one of the grandest fireworks shows in Negros Occidental has been a yearly activity of the city before the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.

Meanwhile, Yulo said that the amount of extra bonus that awaits city government employees would be determined soon.

"That would depend on the city's savings and we may determine it in the first week of December depending on the computation of our savings,” he said.

He added that “we will definitely give that to our employees, especially that the city government received several awards this year.”

Bago City has 850 regular employees.

“They deserve that extra bonus," Yulo stressed.

Last year, city employees each received a total extra bonus of P55,000.

Moreover, the top city’s top official expressed hopes that the construction of a new bridge at the Buenos Aires Mountain Resort would be included in the 2023 national budget.

He said that an overflow bridge is being used in the area as of the moment.

Yulo said he already got the assurance of Fourth District Rep. Juliet Marie Ferrer of the bridge's project inclusion in the 2023 budget.