By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Bacolod City lone district Rep. Greg Gasataya recently refiled a bill that would establish the Metropolitan Bacolod Development Authority (MBDA). Earlier version of the same bill were filed in 2017 by Gasataya and in 2016, when Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia served as congressman.
If passed into law, Bacolod City, Bago City, Silay City, Talisay City, and Murcia would be clustered into a special development and administrative unit that would be directed by the MBDA and under the supervision of the Department of Interior and Local Government.
According to the previous legislation, “The MBDA shall perform planning, monitoring, and coordinative functions.”
The 2017 bill indicated the MBDA would be involved in development planning, transport and traffic management, solid waste disposal and sewage management, urban renewal, zoning, health and sanitation, public safety, among other matters.
Meanwhile, the National Economic Development Authority-Region VI recently revealed a masterplan for a proposed Metropolitan Bacolod is currently in the works and is expected to be included in the 2020 budget.
According to Gasataya, “This will also be a big help in addressing woes on traffic congestion and waste management.”/DGB, WDJ