Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson has no objection to provincial government officials acting as consultants to Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Benitez on a pro bono basis.
The support of the governor for the mayor is still 100 percent, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said on Thursday, September 8.
It will further synergize the working relationship between Negros Occidental and Bacolod City for the good of everybody, he added.
“For the whole province to succeed we cannot turn our backs on Mayor Albee and Bacolod City,” Diaz said.
Benitez has proposed consultancy agreements between Bacolod City and Diaz as consultant for Administrative Matters and Systems Review, Teresita Lopez Jalandoni Provincial Hospital chief Dr. Mary Ann P. Maestral for Health and Hospital Concerns, Provincial Investment Officer Lucille Gelvolea for Special Projects and Economic Affairs, and former PhilHealth-6 regional vice president Valerie Anne Hollero Valerie Anne Hollero for Health Insurance and Health Care.
The mayor’s proposal was accepted by the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod committee on laws, ordinances and good government, chaired by Councilor Al Espino, during the SP’s regular session on Wednesday.
The request of the mayor to sign the consultancy contracts will be up for deliberation in the next SP session, Espino said.
The systems successfully implemented by the provincial government will be shared with Bacolod City without charge, Diaz said, citing ease of doing business and digitalization.
The provincial government will also share its 911 services with Bacolod, he said.
“We can mutually help one another,” Diaz said.
Diaz said a consultancy contract is needed to formalize their intervention in Bacolod City.*