After the recent approval by the Bacolod City Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) for a proposed memorandum of agreement extending a contract allowing the Bacolod Real Estate Development Corporation (Bredco) to continue operating a port in the city for another 25 years, various city officials have spoken out on the significance of keeping the status quo in terms of port management.

“If we open the port to public bidding and only think about how much money the city of Bacolod will gain, we will not only dishonor our obligation to Bredco, and act in bad faith, we will be in violation of the very decision of the honorable court,” said Bacolod City Councilor Dindo Ramos, referring to the 1995 Comprehensive Revised Reclamation Agreement (CRRA), which allowed Bredco to establish and operate the port.

With regard to earnings, the two parties agreed to a P6 million compensation amount for the city.

City Councilor Caesar Distrito earlier pointed out the final amount was “an 800 percent increase” on Bredco’s initial proposal of P800,000.

In response to reports 2017 vice mayoral candidate Vladimir Gonzales offered P20 million a year to take over management rights to the port, City Councilor Bartolome Orola called it a “total lie.”

“There was nothing in his letter that mentioned about such amount,” he noted.

In addition, the agreement entitles the city to an upward adjustment of around P48,000.

Meanwhile, Bredco vowed to make the port a “world class facility.”/PLL, WDJ