Mayor Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez said new roads are set to be opened in Bacolod City to decongest traffic, five mini-hospitals will be established, 10,000 housing units will be built, and the city’s markets will be transformed from not just centers of commerce but also to food tourism hubs.
He also outlined measures already taken to ensure transparency in government, steps to digitalize government transactions with the Office of the Building Official being the first to go online, and the target to recycle 80 percent of the city’s garbage.
Benitez, who delivered his first 100 days accomplishment report at the Bacolod City Government Center on Saturday, said “the past three months have been a vortex of action for us in Bacolod City – to deliver our promise of change”.
“We are just getting started. I want to translate our aspirations and dreams into actual, concrete, and realistic projects — something tangible and visible,” Benitez said.
PUBLIC TRUST
Benitez said when he assumed office his first order of business was to restore public trust in the city government by building a culture of transparency and discipline, and establishing direct communication lines with constituents.
He issued Executive Order No. 1 that established the Good Governance Committee to ensure prudence and proper documentation of transactions in offices, particularly the disbursement and liquidation of public funds, Benitez said.
The city government is now implementing a strict monitoring of procurement costs based on reasonable prices so as to ensure the proper, efficient and judicious spending of government funds, he said.
Benitez said strict implementation of the liquidation procedures of cash advances is also being implemented.
His administration will no longer allow cash advances by the millions to employees with low salary grades, he said.
SPAGHETTI WIRES
Benitez said his administration has also delivered on its commitment to clean Bacolod City’s image.
The Bacolod City Task Force on Spaghetti Wires along with telecommunication companies and Central Negros Electric Cooperative have cleared 30.53 tons of spaghetti wires along major streets in Bacolod starting July 16, Benitez said.
The wires that were collected will be donated to vegetable farmers in Barangay Alangilan and other beneficiaries for use in their production of vegetables, Benitez said.
Benitez said he is also working closely with Bacolod Councilor Al Victor Espino on plans to place telecommunication and electric wires underground.
ACCESS ROADS
Benitez also reported that plans have been completed for the construction of four access roads that will connect Narra Extention-Hervias and the Circumferential Road, barangays Cabug and Handumanan, barangays Tangub and Singcang Airport using the St. Vincent Road, and the sanitary landfill in Barangay Felisa.
To address the traffic congestion along Brgy. Singcang, a portion of the old airport runway will also be opened, he added.
FLOODING
To address the flooding problem the declogging team of the city has also been increased from eight personnel to 20, he said.
“We identified 56 drainage sites among which 22 are priority for repair and rehabilitation,” Benitez said.
E-GOVERNANCE
As part of his commitment to digitalize government transactions, Benitez said the city government has started developing online systems for city departments.
The first to go online was the Office of the Building Official, which allows residents to apply online for business permits, he said.
The city government also launched an online citizen’s watch platform, “Isugid Kay Mayor”, where residents can report complaints about water, electricity, and garbage, Benitez said.
He said for water they have received 283 complaints and 136 were resolved, and for garbage 126 complaints and 123 were resolved.
Electricity complaints were the highest at 728 and ongoing efforts are underway to find solutions, Benitez said
He pointed out that an energy summit with the provincial government and other energy providers was held recently.
Just as the mayor was about to deliver his 100-day report Saturday evening a brownout occurred.
Benitez said the efficiency of city government employees will significantly improve when the mounds of paper on top of their desks will be lessened.
“We initiated a digital archiving system that will centralize the storage and access to all government documents. All the documents will be scanned, uploaded, easily tracked and stored,” Benitez said.
The city government has also signed a memorandum of agreement with Ayala Malls Capitol Central to establish the Bacolod Express Service Office (BESO) that will host at least 12 government offices.
“Through BESO, a one-stop-shop concept, citizens will have easy and convenient access to basic government services,” Benitez said.
CCTV AND STREET LIGHTS
The city government has also installed a state-of-the-art CCTV system and solar-powered street lights for crime prevention and crime deterrence, Benitez said.
The city government is also installing modernized traffic lights soon, he added.
Through the city public information office, the city government is closely monitoring traffic through surveillance cameras which have been operating 24/7 since August, Benitez said.
The PIO Facebook page has also initiated live broadcast of traffic situations during peak hours to guide commuters in identifying faster routes, he added.
PEACE AND ORDER
Benitez also said he has pledged full support for the city’s police force.
Initially, six patrol cars and eight big bikes have been requested, and two units have already been turned over to assist crime prevention campaigns, he said.
The city government has also made sure that assistance for gasoline, office supplies, and equipment for the police are provided on time, Benitez said.
MARKETS
Benitez said his administration has legitimized market tenants at the three major markets of Bacolod City by issuing them certificates of recognition.
There are 1,261 recognized tenants and their contracts of lease have also been formalized, he said.
In the past tenants and vendors at the markets were used as political pawns, he said.
Benitez said when he assumed office, they found out that not a single vendor had a contract with the city government.
“We made the bold move to properly regulate our public market,” he said.
Collections of market rentals significantly increased on a month-to-month comparison, he added.
Benitez also pointed out that tenants at the Manokan Country with arrears in rent for almost two decades have also started paying.
Eight out of the 23 have fully paid, and 15 have signed compromise agreements, Benitez said.
The city government is finalizing the rehabilitation plan for the markets that will not just be centers of commerce but also food tourism hubs, Benitez said.
BACCHP
Benitez said the cornerstone of his campaign for change in Bacolod is his health program.
Under the Bacolod Comprehensive Health Program, memorandums of
agreement have been signed with the first two partner private hospitals, Metro Bacolod Hospital and Medical Center, and South Bacolod General Hospital and Medical Center, Benitez said.
“We already have 53,063 total applications and as of today, we have the first 17 BACCHP card holders,” he said.
The manpower of the City Health Office has also been reinforced by adding six new doctors, he also said.
An E-konsulta project, a community-based healthcare system, has also been launched that provides access to preventive, promotive, and curative medical services, Benitez said.
“As we upgrade our health system, every Bacolodnon has the privilege to avail of free annual check-ups,” Benitez said.
The establishment of mini hospitals or super health centers in five target barangays is also being planned, he added,
They will be in Brgy. Vista Alegre at the Arao relocation site, Brgy Cabug, Brgy Mandalagan, Brgy Alijis and at the reclamation area to cover the numbered barangays, Benitez said.
The mini hospitals will have ultrasound facilities, minor surgical rooms, wards, and laboratories, the mayor said.
Benitez also announced that an ordinance filed by Councilor Celia Flor establishing a social pension fund for qualified seniors has passed second reading.
If approved on third reading, starting January 2023 the city government will be
giving social a pension to 12,000 senior citizens in Bacolod City for the first
time, he said.
GARBAGE
Benitez said a long-term solution to the garbage problem in Bacolod is an integrated waste recovery and recycling complex in Brgy. Felisa in which several proponents have shown interest to invest.
“Our approach is to maximize recycling of trash, to lessen residual waste and provide alternative sources of revenues,” he said.
The goal is to recycle 80 percent of the city’s garbage, he said.
In fact the city has already started a trash-to-cash back program, he said.
HOUSING
Benitez also pointed out that the city has already inked a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development to build 10,000 housing units in Bacolod, and a Yuhum Village groundbreaking has been held.
“It is the dream of every family to own a home. Now, this is becoming a reality in Bacolod,” he said.
ALBEE THE CHANGE
“The slogan Albee the Change is obviously a word play. It does
not only refer to me, Albee Benitez, as game-changer of Bacolod politics – but more importantly, it also speaks of the power of each and everyone to become the change that they want to see in our city,” he said.
“Albee the change, speaks of change within us,” Beniez said.
The mayor said the programs implemented in his first 100 days in office are just the start to “transform Bacolod into a super city – a global city with a diversified economy and skilled human resource, and a model of innovation and good governance”.*