Tributes were paid to former Negros Occidental Governor and Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Montelibano Jr. at his wake at the Immaculate Conception Parish Church in Barangay Villamonte, Bacolod City , yesterday, the day he would have marked his 75 th birthday.

His widow, Jhay, said she found comfort in the tributes from teachers and the colleagues of her husband.

Montelibano, who had gastric esophageal cancer, succumbed to cardio pulmonary arrest on Jan.2

In past birthdays, friends and supporters of the former governor and mayor would troop to his house to serenade and greet him on his birthday.

His wife had hoped that he would have lived until his 75 th birthday.

A concelebrated mass was held for Montelibano in Villamonte last night. His remains will be transferred to the provincial Capitol in Bacolod City this morning for a necrological service organized by the provincial government.

Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia yesterday asked the Sangguniang Panlungsod led by Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson to officially convert the name of Ylac Avenue in Brgy. Villamonte, Bacolod City to Alfredo L. Montelibano Jr. Avenue .

Leonardia said this is in honor of the former mayor for his invaluable contribution to the growth of Bacolod City and is a kind of birthday gift for him.

In his letter to the members of the SP dated Jan. 7, Leonardia said Montelibano has served the city well and the legacy that he has left behind shall forever be etched in the history of Bacolod – a mark of genuine public service, and leadership with integrity and dedication.

“As we lead the people of this city in condoling with the Montelibano family, let us manifest our great respect for this leader who has had the opportunity not to serve not only this city but as governor of the province as well,” he said.

Leonardia said Barangay Villamonte came into being due to the magnanimity and generosity of the Montelibano family and now it is among the city's fastest growing communities.

Ylac Avenue starts at the juncture where Burgos Street splits at the Rotunda, stretching all the way to the point where the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Avenue is, he said. This is very significant as this will symbolically connect the late Mayor to the memory of his late mother, Doña Corazon.

The remains of Montelibano will be transferred from the Capitol to the BAYS Center at 4 p.m. today for a vigil by city government employees and a necrological service to start at 9 a.m. tomorrow.

At 4 p.m. tomorrow his remains will be returned to the University of St. La Salle chapel and he will be laid to rest at the family mausoleum in Hacienda Binitin, Murcia, after a 9 a.m. mass Saturday.*CPG/CGS

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