President Benigno Aquino III and about 12 members of his Cabinet are arriving in Bacolod City today for a briefing on the economic outlook of the country, multi-sectoral consultations, and the distribution of health, livelihood, housing and land assistance to thousands of Negrenses.

The president is expected to arrive at the Bacolod-Silay Airport  at 8:50 a.m. where he will be given planeside honors and met by top Armed Forces of the Philippine and Philippine National Police officials of the Visayas, Saul Pa-a of the Presidential Communications Operations Office said yesterday.

The President will then proceed to the Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City where he will be joined by Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr., Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District), Silay Mayor Jose Montelibano and Health Secretary Enrique Ona for the groundbreaking and laying of a time capsule for the P102.16 million expansion of the facility.

The Bacolod and Negros Occidental police, who went on red alert starting yesterday, are fielding close to 1,000 policemen to secure President Benigno Aquino during his visit to the province today.

“We’re are all set for the President’s visit,” Senior Supt Allan Guisihan and Senior Supt. Ricardo de la Paz, Negros Occidental and Bacolod police directors, said yesterday.

The Army will form the outer security for the president, Guisihan said.

Gabriela Negros expressed dismay over today’s visit of President Benigno Aquino III to Bacolod City and said it is because he is never scheduled to meet and talk to the people whom he calls his “boss.”

At a press conference yesterday, Marina Amacio of Gabriela said, “It seems that PNoy seems to forget those in the grassroots, that he will meet the business sector and none from the marginalized sector.”

Amacio said they might join the rally that will be organized by the Bayan Muna-Negros with other militant groups in the province.