Rep. Evelio Leonardia said yesterday that under his watch, P2.38 billion in public works have been completed or are currently in various stages of implementation in Bacolod City, but he hopes to hit the P5.68 billion mark before his term ends next year.

Leonardia, who delivered his State of the District Report on his birthday at the Garden Royale at the Goldenfields Commercial Complex in Bacolod City, said it is his wish to deliver an additional P3.3 billion in projects to Bacolod City by 2016.

“It is my dream, my hope and my birthday wish that if not all, at least most of these projects would have been realized during my incumbency as congressman, so I can say later that P5.68 billion worth of projects were poured into Bacolod City,” Leonardia said.

Leonardia delivered his speech that lasted an hour and 20 minutes before his colleagues, supporters, constituents, businessmen, and various sectors of the community.

In his SDR, which he pointed out was based on "facts, figures, and realities,” the neophyte congressman said that in only two years as a lawmaker, or from June 2013 to June 2015, he has facilitated a total of P2.38 billion in projects for Bacolod.

These are the P1.5 billion project by the Department of Public Works and Highways, P355 million by the Department of Tourism-DPWH Convergence Fund, P171 million by the Road Board, P131 million by PAGCOR, P136 million by the Department of Education, and P85 million by the Department of Agriculture, Leonardia said.

An additional P3.3 billion represents the public works that he and various national agencies are currently working on for inclusion in the 2016 budget, he said.

Leonardia said that among his big projects are the 156 classrooms scattered around public schools in the city, amounting to P268 million, tourism roads worth P355 million, the 23-kilometer road improvement from Burgos Extension to BREDCO and from Lacson Street to Mt. Mandalagan (Campuestohan) worth P305 million, the various projects of DPWH like flyover, road widening and flood control program worth P1.38 billion, and the 21-kilometer Bacolod Economic Highway, amounting to P790 million.

The solon, who was elected mayor of Bacolod for three consecutive terms, said that it is his dream that when his first term is finished, he would have poured in P5 billion worth of projects for Bacolod.

Leonardia said he has also filed 57 House Bills, some of which already have counterpart bills in the Senate.

“I believe political will should be measured by performance in order to promote a better future for your constituents,” he said, and if words are not backed by accomplishments, it only becomes "puro-tikal will."

Meanwhile, Leonardia contrasted his SDR with the State of Booming Bacolod Address delivered by Mayor Monico Puentevella last week which the congressman calls "fantasy propaganda."

The congressman said the 26-page SOBBA of Puentevella, which he delivered for an hour and a half during his birthday last week, showed no concrete accomplishments of his two-year-stint as mayor.

At best, Puentevella only proved his credit-grabbing skills and a penchant for theatrics, the congressman said.

Witnessing the congressman's SDR were Rep. Niel Tupas Jr. (Iloilo, 5 th District), Rep. Jeffrey Ferrer (Neg. Occ., 4 th District), Silay City Mayor Jose Montelibano, Bacolod Vice Mayor Greg Gasataya, councilors El Cid Familiaran, Roberto Rojas, Em Ang, Carlos Jose Lopez, and Ceasar Distrito, former Bacolod Rep. John Orola, former councilors Catalino Alisbo, Dindo Ramos, and Al Victor Espino, and a number of Bacolod barangay captains, the business sector, and DepEd representatives.

Also present were Dr. Julius Drilon, chief of Hospital of Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital, who represented his brother, Senator Franklin Drilon, and Abang Lingkod Party-list Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano, who joined the crowd later.

Leonardia said he was keeping with the tradition, which he started himself, of delivering a State of the City Address and State of the District Report as his way of keeping transparency and accountability in his work.*CGS

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