The Bacolod Showroom, Pasalubong and Gift Shop at the Bacolod City Hall was inaugurated yesterday with Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia and Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson leading other guests in the unveiling of its marker.

The Showroom displays food and non-food products made by about 30 local producers.

Leonardia said this is a very significant development, not only in terms of tourism but the development of the creativity of local artists and producers in Bacolod City.

“Because we are competing with others, we have to have our own distinct creativity and high level of quality so we will not be left behind,” he said.

The Showroom will cater to help small producers because many big things come from small things, he added.

Leonardia said opening the Bacolod Showroom is a notable event and that its location is a highly sought-after venue of big establishments in the city at a very attractive rate.

But after a long deliberation, he said, they decided to award the location to producers in Bacolod, as the city never runs out of talents.

“The location is prime and could have been rented out to banks and other big commercial establishments but we are using it to invest on small and budding entrepreneurs, Leonardia said.

He urged the producers to come up with product lines that can sell by themselves, that are competitive, creative and innovative.

The Showroom displays high-quality gift items like bags, pendants, crochet items, belts, wall decor done with recycled materials, masks, furniture, food delicacies and others.

Leonardia congratulated the producers and the City Cooperative and Livelihood Development Office, led by Brenda Burdeos, for their partnership with the producers, saying "To whom much is given, much is expected. I hope you can come up with something that will distinctly identify the Showroom.”

Sayson said that opening the Showroom and the act of giving it preference to the many big establishments who wanted the location, is a right decision.

It gave the city's local producers a strategic location to showcase their produce, he said. It is just and right to give the small Bacoleño entrepreneur preference to the numerous establishments that desired the locale for many years now, he added.

Also present at the opening were Councilors Em Ang, Catalino Alisbo, Roberto Rojas and other city officials and employees of the city government.

Meanwhile, a proposal authorizing the CCLDO to collect fees in its showroom, trade fairs and other marketing venue provided for their clients, professional fees for the conduct of trainings/seminars, business/project consultancy and management, property/space rental, equipments, facilities and other socio-economic enterprise activity of the office and for other purpose, was authored by Councilor Al Victor Espino.

The measure will be known as the “City Cooperative and Livelihood Development Office Fees Ordinance.”

The ordinance provides that 70 percent of the fees collected will be deposited to the general fund of the city, while 30 percent will be deposited separately to any government bank as trust fund for the operations, maintenance and other operating expenses of the Product Marketing Center/Showroom of the CCLDO and can be utilized for the purchase of equipments.*CGS

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