Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia is correct in issuing an Executive Order for the construction of a government center in Brgy. Taculing, Bacolod City, without the concurrence of the Sangguniang Panlungsod, Councilor Ana Marie Palermo said yesterday.

Palermo said that, according to the Legal and Legislative Affairs Office of the Department of Interior Government-Manila, there is no need for the SP's concurrence in the selection of the site for a government center based on Section 12 of the Local Government Code.

She said the Mayor is right because the law is silent on the participation of the SP, and also because there is nothing about it in the internal rules and procedures of the SP and the Charter of the city. However, Palermo also said, the Executive Order of the Mayor cannot be implemented now because there is no budget, therefore, it is ineffective. "I think we should consider it as his sentiment or preference for the Taculing site," she said.

The SP has invited City Administrator Lorendo Dilag and City Legal Officer Allan Zamora to the session today to clarify whether the proposed government center will include other national government offices.

Meanwhile, Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentevella yesterday said it is about time the city government sits down with the different sectors to come up with a new master plan for Bacolod City. "We need a master plan to guide us where to have a hospital, the government center, etc., including a sports stadium since the provincial government is planning to get back the Paglaum Sports Complex," he said. "We have to plan all these things ahead," he said.

Puentevella said he agrees that Bacolod City needs to have a better and more spacious government center to address the demands of an expanding city and a growing population.

"However, I feel that the preferred choice of the city government as the future site of the government center will not be a long term solution to our present requirement," he said. Within the next five to ten years, the physical development of Bacolod City is expected to move outward to include areas that we may consider outskirts at this time, he added.

In fact, we are now experiencing traffic congestion and limitations in space due to increased density in population and infrastructures in many growth centers in the city including the area where the government center is proposed to be built, Puentevella said. Within the next few years, these areas are expected to accommodate only so much in terms of physical development and economic activity, he said.

Puentevella said that what Bacolod needs right now is a government center that can address not only the short term requirements but also the medium and long term demands of development. He said the choice of location is equally significant as the construction of the government center would eventually create new opportunities and centers of growth and development within its adjacent communities.

In the end, it is a decision that the city must make based on the parameters that it believes best represent the needs of our times, Puentevella said. Whatever the city officials decide in the end, I will respect, knowing they will decide for the best interest of our beloved city, he said.*CGS

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