By Mae Singuay

Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez expects the revenues during the MassKara Festival 2023 could exceed last year’s P5 billion.

Benitez said receipted transactions during the festival’s first few days have already reached P2.8 billion.

The figures are expected to increase, as other revenues were not recorded, he added.

Earlier, hotels in the city are fully-booked for MassKara’s highlights on October 21 and 22.

Meanwhile, Benitez has yet to confirm if there will be signal jamming during the festival highlights.

“We are actually reviewing [the proposal] if it is necessary,” Benitez said in a press conference at the Bacolod City Government Center on Monday, October 16.

“[If] the Presidential Security Group, which is supposed to guard the first family, tells us it is necessary, we will do so,” he added.

The mayor said many mobile phone users would complain about the proposal.

“So if it is not really a security issue, we can do away with it,” Benitez said.

Benitez said the city government invited President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. and the first family to grace the MassKara street dance and arena competition on October 22.

A signal jamming was implemented during the highlights of last year’s MassKara Festival, which was also attended by Marcos./MS, WDJ