• CHERYL G. CRUZ
Negros Occidental 3rd District Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez led the turnover of 72 brand new service vehicles, all worth P105-million, to various barangays, public schools, and city departments and offices in Victorias, after the flag-raising ceremony Nov. 3 at the public plaza.
The initiative, started when Benitez was mayor of Victorias and completed under the current city administration, aims to strengthen mobility, efficiency, and responsiveness in public service delivery across the city.
Thirty-two vehicles were distributed to city departments and offices, with the ceremonial key received by Mayor Abelardo Bantug III, and composed of eight electric vehicles, six motorcycles, 13 multi-purpose vehicles, one patrol car, one light-duty dump truck, one dump truck, one utility truck, and one canter.
All 26 barangays of Victorias also received their own service vehicle, consisting of five canters and 21 L300 vans, while the Schools Division Office received 14 L300 vans for rural schools, with the aim of improving access to learning resources and support in far-flung communities.
Benitez said the city offices, barangays, and schools had requested for these vehicles when he was still mayor, and were purchased using funds from the city development funds, special education, supplementary budget, savings, and loan.
He said he’s happy to have delivered on this promise, adding the vehicles are intended to support logistical operations, educational access, emergency response, and other community-based services.
“At the end of the day, this is really to better serve the Victoriasanons,” the solon said.
Benitez also said that, in support of sustainable governance, 10 percent of the units turned over were electric vehicles (EVs), making the initiative compliant with the Department of Energy policy per Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act, and aligned with Victorias City’s vision for a greener, smarter, and energy-efficient local government.
Bantug, Liga ng mga Barangay Negros Occidental chapter president Richard Julius Sablan, and Schools Division superintendent Portia Mallorca thanked the solon for this initiative and his continued support to Victorias. | CGC
