After Bacolod City Councilor Wilson Gamboa, Jr. recently reiterated plans to push back on plans by Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia to change Bacolod City’s charter day from October 19to June 18, the mayor said he needs to verify the letter sent by the National Historical Commission (NHC), which supports Gamboa’s position.

According to NHC, while former President Manuel Quezon signed Commonwealth Act No. 326, which established Bacolod as a city, it was only on October 19, 1938 when Quezon visited Bacolod City and organized the new city government by appointing the city’s first mayor, Alfredo Montelibano, Sr.

The mayor stood firm on his position, stating, “We should correct it now.”

However, Leonardia noted, whether or not the change goes through, they will still observe the signing date.

Last November, the city councilor called for more public hearings after the Bacolod City Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP)  passed a resolution endorsing a bill before the House of Representatives, authored by Bacolod City Lone District Rep. Greg Gasataya, requesting the said change.

Gamboa, who chairs the committee on history, culture, and arts, said the charter day observance cannot be separated from the annual MassKara Festival, which takes place in October.

Meanwhile, last May, the SP approved an ordinance formalizing the schedule of the annual MassKara Festival, which commemorates the city’s Charter Day every year. The ordinance, authored by City Councilor Em Ang, also a co-author on the endorsement resolution, set the fourth Sunday of October as the permanent schedule for the Masskara Festival highlights./NC, WDJ