Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia and Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson led other city officials at the opening of the “World Tourism Week” celebration at the lobby of the Bacolod City Government Center yesterday.

Leonardia and Sayson cut the ribbon to open the celebration on the theme “Tourism and Sustainable Energy,” followed by a bar tending exhibition by students of the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos and table preparation by VMA Global College in cooperation with the Orola Foundation, Inc. and the Public Employment Services Office under Secretary to the Mayor Moises de la Cruz.

The celebration was followed by a forum on Energy Conservation at the BCGC led by Central Negros Electric Cooperative personnel.

The officials were joined by City Tourism head Imogene Kanaan and members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod, a press release from City Hall said.

Kanaan said San Carlos and Sipalay, are among the localities in the province that have schedules for the celebration of the World Tourism Week, while that of Bacolod is set on Sept. 24 to 28 under the resolution of Councilor Homer Bais approved by the SP.

In his speech, Leonardia said his public life greatly revolves around Tourism and he even named his daughter “Kara” after the MassKara Festival, the press release said.

He said that the coming MassKara celebration is aimed to be the grandest, yet, this being his last MassKara as a mayor, and a bigger number of tourists is expected to flock to Bacolod.

Sayson said, the success of the MassKara Festival proves that, indeed, there is more fun in the Philippines, the release also said.

A Tourism Quiz will be staged on the second day of the celebration with cash prizes from CENECO for the winners.

A seminar on Tourist Police will be held Wednesday by the Bacolod City Police Office with Police Director Senior Supt. Ric de la Paz showing tourists, especially Koreans who love to go out in the wee hours, which places are safe for them to go to.

A media seminar will be held on Friday in Alangilan to focus on the media’s role in tourism, the press release also said.*

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