Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Benitez named Provincial Economic Enterprise Development Department (EEDD) head and former provincial administrator Lucille Gelvolea as city administrator.
Benitez said Gelvolea will be retiring from the province which was was confirmed Tuesday, November 28, by Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson.
Gelvolea has also served as Benitez's consultant for Special Projects and Economic Affairs.
Benitez said that Gelvolea has already met with the city councilors on Monday, November 27, and with the department heads on Tuesday, afternoon, November 28.
"She will be retiring. She was with me when we were functioning at the Incident Management Team with the province during the pandemic, so there was a lot of working relationships that were established during that time and that I see her capable for the job," Benitez said.
He added, “I only have only one advice, that all she does will have the blessings of the mayor. What I'm only looking is not an alter ego of the mayor. What I want is somebody who will only implement and execute what I tell her to do as I am a hands-on mayor…I'm in charged of all the affairs of the city."
For his part, Lacson congratulated Gelvolea for her appointment in a highly urbanized city and got the trust and confidence of the mayor.
"She did come and I congratulated her. Although it wasn't announced then yet. She knows there's a lot of work to be done but I told her it also speaks of you because you were chosen by the mayor…so he is confident that you can help in his administration. Bacolod City is a highly-urbanized city, it's a capital city so it's a very important position.”
The governor added, "On my part, I even encouraged her and I told her that it's a good thing that you are selected but of course the decision is for her to decide whether she stays here or she joins the city. I told her it's a new challenge. All eyes are in Bacolod, so she has to be strong."
She did a very decent job, he also said.
Gelvolea's appointment “speaks well of the quality of people that we have in the province,” Lacson said.*
