BY MAE SINGUAY
BACOLOD City – “I will not rise or fall with the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).”
Delivering his “State of the District Address” (SODA) with a booming voice, Cong. Evelio Leonardia claimed he was able to deliver projects to the city despite the abolition of the pork barrel.
He also belied criticisms that he was not performing as a legislator should.
“I delivered to my district P892,843,735 worth of public works and infrastructure projects,” said Leonardia at the Garden Royale, Goldenfield Commercial Complex in Brgy. Singcang here yesterday.
He timed the delivery of his SODA with his birthday.
Before PDAF’s abolition middle of last year, each congressman was allotted P70 million pork barrel annually.
In 2013, Leonadia was only able to make use P35 million of his PDAF.
The congressman also said he had introduced 43 bills and became a member of eight House committees – energy, appropriations, public works, tourism, local government, legislative franchises, inter-parliamentary relations and diplomacy, and housing and urban development.
Mayor Monico Puentevella, critic of the congressman, recently said residents of Bacolod have yet to hear Leonardia’s voice in Congress.
According to Leonardia, he allotted P612,648,877 to improve the city’s traffic condition, build roads, drainage system and flood control.
He said P30 million was coursed through the Department of Agriculture (DA) to build a three-kilometer farm-to-market road in Brgy. Felisa.
The congressman also said 27 water sanitation and rain water collection facilities were erected, and school buildings completed (P29,923,000).
For asphalt overlay, Leonardia said he allotted P59,234,900.
He enumerated his other projects these past 12 months:
- eight multipurpose buildings and foot bridges – P27,413,200
- four-storey school buildings at Bata National High School and Singcang National High School – P94,024,658
- pedestrian overpasses in front of Brgy. Sum-ag (Market), Rizal Elementary School and E.L. Jayme Elementary School in Brgy. Mansilingan – P39,600,000.
According to Leonardia, he lobbied for these projects with various national government agencies like the Department of Public Works and Highways and the DA.
In the future, the congressman said, he plans to construct two flyovers on Araneta and Magsaysay streets and the Circumferential Road on corner Burgos Street.
Ricardo Tan, businessman and former director of the Land Transportation Office, said Leonarda performed well.
“I believed in what he said,” Tan said.
Meanwhile, a resident of Brgy. Banago, Denia Sorso, said he witnessed the realization of Leonadia’s projects like the one in his village – a foot bridge in the sub-barangay (purok) of Riverside.
For his part, Frank Carbon, president of the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said he “felt” the effects of the congressman’s projects such as the road widening in areas going to the village of Sum-ag.
“The only thing we want to ask is for the congressman to follow up with the DPWH the P14-million river survey and drainage rehabilitation plan. I haven’t heard any development on this,” Carbon said./PN
