• CHERYL G. CRUZ
Mayor Alfredo “Albee” Benitez has been asked to convene the Bacolod Arts and Culture Council so that projects and programs that will stimulate cultural awareness and develop the rich arts industry of the city will be implemented.
“Bacolod is endowed with various tourism enterprises, including, but not limited to, historical and heritage sites, religious icons, and other tourism attractions, hotels, and convention centers, which, if promoted and properly managed, could be tapped as prime economic boosters of the city through sustainable community-based social enterprise, cultural, historical, and agri-eco tourism,” said the resolution, authored by Councilor Em Ang and approved by the Sangguniang Panlungsod Nov. 29.
Ang, chairperson of the SP Committee on History, Culture and Arts, added that City Ordinance 413 establishes the Arts and Culture Council of Bacolod, and mandates an annual arts and culture program in the City.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government issued Memorandum Circular No. 2002-18, which mandates local government units to create a Culture and Arts Council. In the city, the council is primarily tasked to preserve, promote, and propagate Bacolod and Filipino cultural values and arts among its citizenry, Ang explained.
“It is crucial for the city to convene the Local Culture and Arts Council of Bacolod not just to comply with the national law, but to also implement projects and programs that will stimulate cultural awareness and develop the rich arts industry of the city,” the resolution said.
Ang also urged Benitez to implement CO 857, or the Bacolod Tree Museum ordinance, adding the enforcement of this local law is timely as it is part of the thrust of the mayor to establish more parks in the city.
The Tree Museum at the Bacolod Eco-Park in Barangay Granada “is pivotal in fostering environmental consciousness, promoting sustainable practices, and enhancing the overall aesthetic appeal of our City”, she added. | CGC
