BACOLOD City – Outgoing Mayor Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez will deliver his final State of the City Address (SOCA) today, June 25, at 5:30 p.m. at the Bacolod City Government Center (BCGC) grounds.
The SOCA will take place during the regular session of the Sangguniang Panlungsod, which is expected to temporarily suspend its rules to accommodate the mayor’s address.
The delivery of the SOCA was originally scheduled for June 28, but was moved earlier to coincide with the last session day of the 11th City Council. By next week, the newly elected council members are set to assume their posts.
Mayor Benitez, who will soon serve as the congressman of the city’s Lone District, said his address will highlight the accomplishments of his single term as city mayor and lay out his vision for Bacolod’s journey toward becoming a “super city.”
Among the key accomplishments under his administration are:
* Intensified anti-corruption and clean-up efforts
* Road repairs and infrastructure improvements
* Removal of spaghetti wires and implementation of underground cabling
* Strengthening peace and order through the construction of a command center under a P2.1 billion Build-Transfer-Maintain public-private partnership project
* Reorganization of city hall operations, including the creation of new departments to improve efficiency
* Installation of solar-powered street lights for enhanced safety and security
* Partnership agreements with private hospitals under the Bacolod City Comprehensive Health Program (BacCHP)
* Construction of a new legislative building, a new city hall, and the establishment of the Bacolod Integrated Recycling and Technology Hub and Eco-Park (BIRRTH)
Meanwhile, the outgoing mayor is scheduled to take his oath of office as congressman on June 28, during the inauguration of the newly elected city officials. He shared that Barangay 18 captain Madilyn Diaz will administer his oath.
On the other hand, incoming Mayor Greg Gasataya, the outgoing congressman, is also set to take his oath during the same ceremony. As of this writing, he has yet to announce who will administer his oath of office./PN
