Philippine ring icon Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao will be in town for the inaugural ceremony of the in-coming government officials of Bacolod City at 5:30 p.m. today at the Bacolod Public Plaza.

Pacquiao, Bacolod's adopted son, was invited by re-elected Mayor Evelio Leonardia as one of the honored guests together with former Miss International Aurora Pijuan, Architect and Urban Planner Felino "Jun" Palafox Jr., and Higaki Yusuke, Asian Commission of Tokyo Japan.

Senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr., who is the guest of honor and speaker, will be accompanied by his wife, actress Lani Mercado.

Revilla will be the inducting officer for Leonardia, Judge Ray Alan Drilon of the Regional Trial Court for Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson and Judge Lorna Demonteverde of the Municipal Trial Court for the members of the City Council.

Leonardia has also invited her Excellency President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Gabby Claudio, Secretary of Political Affairs, Ramon Revilla Sr., chair of the Philippine Reclamation Authority, Ambassador and Mrs. Eduardo Cojuangco and business tycoon Lucio Tan, also an adopted son of the city.

Negros Occidental Gov. Joseph Marañon is expected to give a message at the inaugural ceremony to which other government officials of the province have also been invited.

Leonardia said Bacolodnons will be treated to a free post inaugural show and a night of fun and entertainment in cooperation with ABS-CBN TV 4, at the plaza.

There will also be 15 minutes of fireworks, also at the plaza after the inauguration rites.

Isabel Granada, Rey PJ Abellana, Linda Rose and Bentot, Jr. are among the showbiz personalities and talents who will present this variety show.

"I invite the people of Bacolod to watch and be part of this significant event of our city," Leonardia said. Meanwhile, the Mayor swore into office Councilors Reynold Iledan and Catalino Alisbo, both of the Performance Team, Saturday at City Hall before they all proceeded to the San Sebastian Cathedral for the Eucharistic mass that signified the beginning of the new term of the Leonardia administration.

Only Councilors Dindo Ramos and Alex Paglumotan, who were reportedly out of town, were not able to attend the mass sponsored by the Bacolod City Government Employees Union, headed by Dido Samson.

Fr. Ernie Larida was main celebrant, with Frs. Tomas Rito, Mamerto Alfeche and Hernani Cañete as co-celebrants.

Leonardia had earlier sworn in Councilor Celia Flor, an independent candidate, also at City Hall.

The Mayor said he appreciates the city officials who did not run under his ticket and yet decided to have him administer their oath of office. "I take this to mean, in a sense, a way of harmonizing the executive and the legislative," he said.

Leonardia said "Together with the mass and the assembly of the city officials with the employees, that at the strike of 12 noon Saturday, which is the official take over of incoming officials, I believe that we started on the right foot." And starting with the right foot is already an advantage, he added.

He said he hopes to see a set of city officials who can really work together.

Leonardia said he knows that there are those who are sowing intrigues by saying there is no fiscalizer in the new set of officials. That is clearly a political intrigue because, in a way, such people are agitating the officials to "make noise", he said.

Leonardia said "What our people need now is not noise, but action and performance." People should not worry about fiscalizing because we have built-in mechanisms, he said, adding, we have the media and the public.

"After the elections I already reached out to the officials in the hope that the political scene in Bacolod will change after a long period of discord," Leonardia said. If there is cooperation among officials, there will be good governance, he said.*CGS

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