BACOLOD CITY. - The 6th Visayas Island Congress of the Philippine Councilors League will wind up here today bannered by the theme "Leading with a SMILE: Sensitivity, Motivation, Innovation, Legacy and Example".

The three-day congress gathered more than 1,000 smiling delegates from all over the Visayas to foster closer ties among local legislative bodies. PCL Bacolod chapter hosts this year's island congress of city and municipal councilors from Regions VI, VII and VIII.

The 9th Sangguniang Panlungsod of Tagbilaran is duly represented here through our delegation led by Majority Floorleader Jose Antonio Veloso and his patended smile, whatever that means.

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The three-day conference includes technical workshops focusing on strategies and inputs for creating opportunities in the information technology and alternative business industries, the standards under the Apolinario Mabini Award, child labor and trafficking and vital approaches to disaster preparedness.

The venue of the plenary sessions and technical workshop is the Grand Regal Hotel while we were smiling as we were billeted at the Bacolod Convention Plaza Hotel.

House Speaker Jose de Venecia, whose eyebrows could hardly pre-set a smiling face, was among the guests of the island congress. City Mayor Evelio Leonardia of Bacolod was all smiles as he welcomed the delegates. So do with Gov. Joseph Maranon of Negros Occidental and Rep. Monico Puentevella.

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The delegates will visit several places this morning as part of educational exposure. The educational tours will be divided into three groups for environmental, history and handicrafts; business and youth development.

The tours will bring the delegates to the Negros Forests and Ecological Foundation, Inc., Biodiversity Conservation Center, ANP Negros Showroom, Negros Museum, SMC plant, ECJ farms for vermiculture casting and cock-breeding; call centers, Balay pag-asa and the Bacolod Boys Home.

During the opening plenary last Friday, the delegates were treated to a grand welcome on the festive spirit of the Masskara festival and the city's famous "inasal".

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On our way here last Friday, we bumped into a smiling Fr. Florante S. Camacho, SVD, former president of Holy Name University who was with us in the Air Philippines flight from Cebu to this city.
Fr. Flor attended the board meeting of the University of San Agustin here.

Of course, our side trip to the cities of Talisay and Silay would not have been possible without the stewardship of the ever-smiling Merc Salazar. Being with us from start to finish, Merc certainly made the Tagbilaran city councilors smiling for three days in the City of Smiles. Amen.

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