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Mayor postpones charter day rites, cites Bacolod Covid-19 situation

The 83rd Bacolod City Charter Day celebration on Friday, June 18, has been postponed because of the current COVID-19 situation, Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia announced on Wednesday, June 16.

“The postponement of our celebration is indefinite until better times come. We hope for the understanding of our people as this is a move to contain COVID-19,” he said.

The mayor on Tuesday said Secretary Salvador Panelo, chief legal counsel of President Rodrigo Duterte, would be the guest of honor and speaker at the Charter Day ceremonies at the Bacolod City Government Center lobby on June 18.

The announcement drew flax from netizens who scored the holding of a mass gathering despite the Department of Health’s having tagged Bacolod City as a high risk area for COVID-19.

Leonardia, in a statement Wednesday, said early planning and preparations were made to celebrate our Charter Day as practiced and mandated by City Ordinance No. 616 entitled “Mga Adlaw Sang Paghanduraw.”

In anticipation they invited Panelo to be the guest speaker, he said.

“However, because of our present COVID-19 figures, we made another assessment of the situation. Our Bacolod IATF, headed by Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, and Emergency Operations Center, under City Administrator Em Ang, recommended that it is best that we postpone the event until better times come,” Leonardia said.

Bacolod City had two additional deaths and 97 new COVID-19 cases for a total of 1,918 active cases on Wednesday, the Department f Health reported.

The mayor thanked Panelo for graciously accepting their decision to postpone the charter day rites even if he had already set his schedule to come to Bacolod.

Leonardia also assured Bacolodnons that they will continue to give due honor and respect to the observance of that historic day of June 18, 1938 when President Manuel L. Quezon signed Commonwealth Act 326 which created the City of Bacolod.

“We believe that singular event was a major factor that catapulted Bacolod to where it is today.” he said.

June 18 is a public holiday in Bacolod City.*

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