There has been a high increase in business confidence in Bacolod City, which is a sign of things to come, Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said.*
Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said on Tuesday, October 18, that business firms’ sales during the ongoing MassKara Festival in Bacolod City have reached pre-pandemic levels.
There has been a high increase in business confidence in Bacolod City, which is a sign of things to come, Benitez said during a MassKara media night celebration.
The historic MassKara Festival being held at seven venues this year following the COVID-19 pandemic has not fallen short of people’s expectations, “in fact we did more,” Benitez said.
Very seldom does a festival run for a three-week period with non-stop well attended activities, he said.
Benitez said officials of the SM Group informed him that their hotel, supermarket, department store and mall sales have reached pre-pandemic levels and surpassed their Iloilo counterparts.
“Before the elections people were talking about how Iloilo had grown and I said give me three years and we will surpass their achievement”, Benitez added.
It has only been three months and Bacolod is getting there, he said.
Nestle Philippines officials also informed him that their sales in Bacolod City had hit was 33 percent of the market share in Western Visayas, Benitez added.
Iloilo’s market share was 31 percent, the Nestle officials said, he said.
Benitez said the city government is now planning activities for December to ensure the continuous engagement of all business establishments and hopefully this will continue in the years to come, he said.
He thanked the organizers of the MassKara headed by its honorary chairman Jojie Dingcong, director Pinky Mirano Ocampo and the city officials for the festival’s success.
He also thanked the people of Bacolod who love to celebrate.
Also present at the MassKara media night, which major sponsor was Victoria’s Milling Co. headed by its president Minnie O. Chua, were Bacolod Rep. Greg Gasataya and Councilor Celia Flor, and Victorias Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez.*