Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia issued an executive order, Wednesday night, February 10, suspending the celebration of the Bacolaodiat Festival and all revelries to usher in the Chinese New Year tomorrow, February 12, to curb the spread of coronavirus.
This after BacoLaodiat Festival chair Oddette Ong-Gomez earlier said that they will forgo the holding of the 16th edition of the festival.
In the EO, all activities and celebrations for the Chinese New Year in February are suspended, and that all permits/licenses issued prior to the order are deemed revoked, the mayor said.
Leonardia said those who fail to follow the EO will face administrative and criminal sanctions.
SENTIMENTAL
Leonardia, in a statement today, February 11, said it was with “mixed feelings” when he issued the order suspending the public celebration of the Bacolaodiat Festival.
“When I founded this Bacolod version of the Chinese New Year in 2006, it was meant to honor and manifest the assimilation of the Chinese culture due to the enriching presence of our Fil-Chinese community in our beloved city,” he said.
It was also conceptualized to become a major tourist attraction and through the years they saw how the people embraced and supported this annual event, making it grow by leaps and bounds beyond our initial expectations, the mayor added.
“I must confess there is, furthermore, a sentimental angle why I passionately pursued to nurture its development and evolution. It was in 2005 during the wake of my beloved mother, the late Ester Ramos Leonardia, when Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas visited our family that the idea to create a Chinese New Year festival for Bacolod was born. So, on a personal note, I dedicate my work for Bacolaodiat to honor the memory of my loving Nanay.”
He added, “we commemorate Bacolaodiat this year, we salute our long-time festival chairman, the late Leonito ‘Diotay’ Lopue, for his major contributions to make this tourism and cultural gem what it is today.”
He said this should have been another big chance to celebrate and enjoy the gains and the rise of the city. “But times are telling us, in the light of the pandemic, we must put the health and safety of our people above any other considerations,” he added.*