By MAE SINGUAY
BACOLOD City — The city government here is planning to create the Bacolod City Ports Authority (BCPA), Mayor Monico Puentevella said.
Puentevella said the BCPA will regulate all ports in the city.
He said he and the Sangguniang Panlungsod came up with the plan in light of the report that the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) plans to reclaim the Banago port.
The mayor said he is not in favor of the move. “What is the reclamation for,” he asked during a press conference at the city hall on Monday.
Puentevella, also the chair of the City Development Council (CDC), said he was one of those who approved the resolution granting PPA’s request for the endorsement of the zonal delineation at Banago port.
He said what he knew was that the resolution focused only on delineation and made no mention of any reclamation.
He said he was surprised when the issue of reclamation surfaced during a CDC discussion on the Banago port operation.
The Banago port zonal delineation is still pending the approval of Sangguniang Panlungsod.
Puentevella said the city government wants to handle the reclamation of the Banago port if necessary.
He said that at the privately operated Bredco (Bacolod Real Estate Development Corp.) port, for instance, the city is negotiating any reclamation activity.
The Barangay Council of Banago approved a resolution requesting Councilor El Cid Familiaran to conduct a public hearing on the impact of PPA’s zonal delineation at Banago port on the barangay’s residents.
In Resolution No. 2014-1897, the Barangay Council said the port’s development will significantly affect the lives of Banago residents, especially those in puroks (sub-village) Nami-Nami and Mahimulaton.
Frank Carbon, CDC vice president, said that, once the city approves the delineation, it will give PPA the permission to develop the area.
Carbon said the area to be covered by the planned development spans 21 hectares, including the left and right portions of the finger port.
PPA–Bacolod manager Enrique Fuentebaja said one of their planned projects is the repair of the dilapidated third lane of the access road at the upper part of the causeway.
He said the area will later serve as parking area for vehicles traveling via roll-on, roll-off vessels./PN
