During his Independence Day address earlier this week, Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia recounted his prior years in office.

He listed his previous administration slogans, which date back to 1995.

“The first time I sat as mayor in 1995, my battle cry was ‘On the Right Track,’” the mayor noted. “In the succeeding terms that I had, change was still at the core of my direction for governance; ‘Moving Ahead’ [and] ‘Surging Ahead.’”

Leonardia also discussed dreaming up the Bacolod City Government Center.

“[We] envisioned a new building that could comfortably accommodate and effectively dispense the services needed by a fast-growing population,” he said. “Now you see our government center proudly standing amidst buildings where cane fields used to be.”

He also noted the value of having a mayor and lone district congressman “in alliance,” along with support from Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran and “the majority of the Sangguniang Panlungsod.”

Meanwhile, Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) president, Atty. Clint Aranas, who was invited to serve as guest of honor and speaker, was represented by GSIS Corporate Affairs Vice President Mary Abigail Cruz-Francisco.

In his speech, delivered by Cruz-Francisco, the GSIS president said, “History reminds us that the freedoms we enjoy today were purchased by those who were willing to pay the highest price that anyone has ever had to pay.”

“As we gather to celebrate the sovereignty of our country and our people, let us also honor their memory, by considering this thought: the greatest tribute we can offer them is to dedicate ourselves to ensuring that the freedom they gave their lives to protect will be exercised to obtain – each and every day – a life of dignity for our fellow Filipinos,” he added./WDJ