The Ambassador of the People's Republic of China and Tourism Secretary Ace Durano will be the guests of honor during the Bacolaodiat Festival in Bacolod City on Feb. 23 and 24, Carlos Ganihong, Amity Volunteer Fire Brigade fire chief, said yesterday.

Ganihong said the highlight of the activity is the grand parade that will be held on Feb. 23 from Araneta Street to the Bacolod Public Plaza. He said a Lauriat Festival and cultural show will follow at the plaza. This year's theme is "Harmony in Diversity," he said.

Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia yesterday said the city has committed financial assistance of P1 million to the Bacolaodiat Festival.

Councilor Al Victor Espino, chairman of the Committee on Finance said they have experienced the benefits of MassKara Festival and are now exploring the benefits of the Bacolaodiat Festival. He said the P1 million will help promote Bacolod to other foreign countries.

The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod approved an ordinance institutionalizing the Bacolaodiat Festival as an official festival of Bacolod City Thursday. Leonardia said the festival is going to cement further the presence of the Chinese community in Bacolod and one activity which they hope will become a tourist attraction.

He said that in the years to come thousands or millions of tourists from China and Taiwan will be going out of their country during the New Year so he believes the city will have an advantage as a destination, if it could make them feel that they are celebrating their New Year here.

Leonardia said the idea came about after he was invited by Iloilo Mayor Jerry Treñas to attend the Chinese New Year in Iloilo City last year. Iloilo City will celebrate its Chinese New Year on Feb. 17, he said.

Also present at the press conference yesterday were Luis Chan, Negros Tsinoy chairman and chairman of the Negros Occidental Filipino-Chinese Association Inc., Carlos Javellana, chairman emeritus of the NOFCAI, and Crispin Chua, vice chairman of the Amity Fire Brigade.

Meanwhile, Leonardia also thanked the Federation of the Filipino-Chinese of Chamber of Commerce and Industry, through Javellana, for the many school buildings it had helped construct in Bacolod City.

He said the group will also put up 13 additional public school buildings in the city.

Leonardia said the city will construct a full elementary school at the Vista Alegre-Granada (Abada-Escay) relocation site by the start of the next school year to help the relocatees.

On the other hand, Councilor Greg Gasataya, chairman of the Committee Education, said the P55 million school board fund was approved yesterday.

He said this includes funds for the construction of classrooms, increase of honorarium for teacher aides from P5,000 which the Mayor had pushed to be increased to P7,000, the increase in salaries of utility personnel and security guards under the school board from P3,000 to P5,000, payment of the present Emergency Cost of Living Allowance amounting to about P22 million plus the three months back ECOLA from 1999.

Leonardia said the Amity Volunteer Fire Brigade and the city will set up a fire station at the Panaad Park in Mansilingan that will be opened in April to serve the people in the neighboring barangays.

Ganihong said the city will provide the structure and the Amity will man the station and will provide the services. The fire station will be located within the Amity Public Safety Academy, he said.

Leonardia turned over an initial P1 million to the Amity out of the P2 million the city has committed for the project.*CGS

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