• CHERYL G. CRUZ / GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Lacson Tourism Strip and surrounding streets will be closed to vehicular traffic, starting at 6 o’clock this morning, Jan. 13, for the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) national rally for peace at the Capitol Park and Lagoon in Bacolod City.
Jose Antonio Robello, deputy officer-in-charge of the Bacolod Traffic and Transport Management Department (formerly BTAO), said Jan. 12 that the road closures until midnight cover Lacson Street, from Cottage Road to 15th Street; the North and South Capitol Road; and a section of 6th Street near the Capitol Lagoon.
Cottage Road will be one-way westbound, Aguinaldo Street is one-way northbound, and Gatuslao Street is one-way southbound.
Use alternate routes to avoid the closed streets, Robello said in a post, adding that major detour options include San Juan Street, the Circumferential Road, and the Bacolod-Negros Occidental Economic Highway (BANOCEH).
Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, meanwhile, suspended work after lunch today for Capitol-based offices, according to Provincial Administrator Atty. Rayfrando Diaz.
As per info relayed by organizers to Robello, around 70,000 individuals, with 3,000 vehicles, are expected to gather for the INC peace rally in Bacolod, the city Public Information Office said.
The peace rally will also be simultaneously held in at least 12 other key cities and areas across the country, including at Quirino Grandstand in Manila.
The city allowed the temporary road closures in Bacolod as per Sangguniang Panlungsod Resolution 1-2025, with the BTTMD, police, and concerned agencies expected to deploy personnel to ensure peace and order.
Robello said in a radio interview that they are deploying 70 traffic enforcers in areas covered by the road closures and rerouting, to ensure the smooth flow of traffic.
The Bacolod City Police Office is also deploying about 130 personnel, augmented by personnel from the Bureau of Fire Protection, and the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office. | CGC, GB
