City okays Balo, Bayatan appointments
THE City Council approved Dr. Rogelio Balo re-appointment as city administrator of Bacolod.
The City Council also gave its nod to the re-appointment of lawyer Joselito Bayatan as head of the City Legal Office.
Balo initially faced rough sailing at the hands of a group of councilors who preferred former councilor Greg Gasataya to occupy Balo’s post.
However, all these are now in the past, as Balo quoted Shakespeare, “All’s well that ends well.”
The misgivings on Balo’s re-appointment to the post stemmed from his more than four months’ absence during his previous stint as city administrator.
To the eyes of his critics, this long absence puts into question Balo’s commitment to the position, which is very vital to the day-to-day operations of the City Government of Bacolod.
Balo stressed that he is very committed to his position. He explained his long absence as a necessity because he had to be with his family who are living abroad.
Those days are in the past while it’s different now, he said.
Councilor Homer Bais was very vocal in questioning Balo’s commitment to render full time service to the City Government of Bacolod and to its people, considering that he already has a record of leaving his post without properly informing the members of the council. Councilor Caesar Distrito also had the same view. (Carla N. Cañet)