Abang Lingkod partylist Representative Stephen Paduano said Friday he considers the “premature renewal” of the Comprehensive Revised Reclamation Agreement (CRRA) as a total sellout of the City of Bacolod.
Paduano was reacting to the approval of the City Council last Wednesday of the memorandum of agreement signed between Bacolod Real Estate Development Corp. (Bredco) president Jose Alonte and Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia, granting Bredco the authority to operate and manage the city-owned port for another 25 years.
He asked why the majority members of the City Council appeared to be in a hurry to grant Bredco such privilege, with annual port fees of P6 million, when the CRRA contract will expire on 2020 yet.
“They should remember that the same top leadership pushed to take over the management of the port in 2005 by way of an ordinance, citing a long list of violations allegedly committed by Bredco insofar as the provisions of the CRRA are concerned. That time, there was already a proposal from the SP led by former Councilor Al Victor Espino pushing to increase the annual port fees of Bredco from P800,000 to P17.5 million,” he added.
Paduano further said: “That was 12 years ago. How come that they were already leaping on the P6 million proposed by no less than the SP (City Council) committee on laws and ordinances chair Councilor Caesar Distrito, the very person who presided during the conduct of the committee hearing.”
He likened the deal to selling Bacolod at a very cheap price.
“Daw binaligya lang sa tapangko (It’s like selling in a market stall),” he said.
He said that he has nothing personal against the members of the City Council, but they should have acted with prudence.
“The P6 million is just a drop in the bucket. Bacolod deserves more in that agreement. If businessman Vladimir Gonzalez can offer to pay the city P20 million a year, why is it that the city charged Bredco only P6 million?” Paduano asked.
He said that the city officials will be judged by the people based on their actions.
“They should have given others the right to match the offer of Bredco,” Paduano said.
The lawmaker said he has so much respect to lawyer Simplicio Palanca, former president of Bredco, who built the port for the city, but added that Bacolod also deserves to be paid justly.
“The interest of Bacolod City should prevail over the vested interest of a few,” Paduano said.
Meanwhile, Gonzalez said the fate of the people of Bacolod lies on the political numbers game at the City Council.
“Our Davao group can even offer a minimum of P20 million to P50 million per year and will reduce the freight and handling costs. Whatever their reasons behind, this is very clear disadvantage to the City Government. We will question this before the higher agencies,” he said.
