SunStar
+ February 12, 2021 “IT WAS with mixed feelings when I issued the executive order (EO) suspending the public celebration of the Bacolaodiat Festival for 2021,” Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia said.
Leonardia said in a statement that when he founded the Bacolod version of the Chinese New Year in 2006, it was meant to honor and manifest the assimilation of the Chinese culture due to the enriching presence of the Filipino-Chinese community in Bacolod.
“It was also conceptualized to become a major tourist attraction and through the years we saw how our people embraced and supported this annual event, making it grow by leaps and bounds beyond our initial expectations, he said.