- CHERYL G. CRUZ
Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Benitez said Friday he expects about P5 billion in revenues during the three-week MassKara Festival celebration, with the grand salubong ongoing tonight, Sept. 30, at the Government Center.
“We’re expecting about P5 billion to enter the system because of MassKara,” Benitez said.
He said locals and visitors should “prepare for a best-ever MassKara”, adding that airline companies have started increasing their flights to Bacolod, and hotels and other accommodation facilities are fully-booked for the highlight or third week of the festival.
For the first and second week, its 80 to 90 percent booked, even Airbnbs are being tapped to accommodate visitors, Benitez said, adding he also heard from airline carriers that they started adding trips to Bacolod Friday.
He said he asked the Department of Tourism to do a headcount, as the city is expecting around 200,000 visitors.
Benitez said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the First Family, Vice President Sara Duterte, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, House Speaker Martin Romualdez, and other national and local officials from neighboring local government units are also expected to take part in the celebration.
He said even Filipino communities in other countries expressed interest and excitement over the 43rd staging of the world-renowned festival, after a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus disease 2019.
Benitez stressed that health protocols are still in place, in conjunction with the province of Negros Occidental, and all should take heed since COVID is still around.
The mayor recently issued an executive order allowing the voluntary wearing of face masks outdoors, but he encouraged those in public utility vehicles, in confined spaces, and crowded areas to still mask up./CGC
