BACOLOD City – “If we don’t use it, we’ll lose it.”
This was the statement of Mayor Evelio Leonardia in relation to proposed rehabilitation of the Bacolod Rizal Park project worth P9,454,107.33 after the said project gained several criticisms from the public particularly from former Mayor Monico Puentevella.
In his public statement issued to several media outlets in this city, Puentevella said “it is not proper specially this time that the country is fighting against the corona virus disease 2019(COVID-19) pandemic.
“This is the height of stupidity and insensitivity,” the former city official pointed out.
He said that at this time when the city does not even have testing labs for COVID-19, no funds for mass testing and others.
However, Leonardia countered that the funding for this infrastructure project will infuse funds into the local economy to help generate jobs and sales of construction and hardware materials and other supplies needed for the project.
“Thus, it will help spur the economic recovery of the City from the downturn caused by the recent quarantines to stop the spread of COVID-19,” said Leonardia.
He added: “Rest assured, your city officials are not ignoring the urgent needs of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The funding for the rehabilitation and improvement of the Bacolod Rizal Park was sourced out form the national government through the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
This funding was part of an appropriation item of close to P2.5 billion approved by Congress for the 2019 national budget as financial assistance to all cities nation-wide to fund the construction, rehabilitation, repair or improvement of public open spaces.
According to Leonardia, it was called the Local Government Support Fund-Assistance to Cities or LGSF-AC.
“Local government units with project proposals evaluated and approved by the DBM were given until Dec. 31 to fully utilize their LGSF-AC project funds; otherwise, whatever will be left unused will be forfeited and must be remitted back to the national government,” the mayor explained.
