Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said on Friday, September 30, that he expects about P5 billion in revenues for Bacolod City during the three-week MassKara Festival.
“We are expecting about P5 billion to enter the system because of this event,” he said.
The October 1 to 23 festival kicked off with a countdown at the Bacolod City government center Friday night.
Bacolodnons should prepare for the best ever MassKara Festival, Benitez said.
“We have planned for this for a couple of months and you can see the reaction of the people is very positive,” he said, not only in Bacolod but in other parts of the country and abroad.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte are expected to join the festival on October 23, Benitez said.
The president’s wife, Liza Araneta Marcos, may arrive in Bacolod earlier, he said.
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and House Speaker Martin Romualdez are also arriving, he added.
Bacolod’s hotels are fully booked for the last week of the festival, and 80 to 90 percent full for the first two weeks, while airlines have increased their flights, Benitez said.
“I’ve asked the Department of Tourism and our tourism head to conduct a head count of all of the visitors arriving for the MassKara,” he said.
“We expect about 200,000 visitors for the festival,” Benitez said.
All is also set for the MassKara sa Panaad, he added.*