After a two-year wait, the Sinulog Foundation Inc. (SFI) was accredited anew by the Cebu Provincial Board (PB) yesterday.
SFI’s accreditation means it could now claim the P1.5 million financial assistance pledged by the Cebu provincial government for the Sinulog celebrations that were not released in the past two years.
SFI Executive Director Ricky Ballesteros said the organization applied for re-accreditation in 2012 but the processing didn’t push through due to the stand-off at the Capitol involving then governor Gwendolyn Garcia, who defied a Palace suspension order.
“The one that followed up our papers wasn’t able to come back, but we complied with all the requirements,” he told reporters yesterday.
Last year, then acting governor Agnes Magpale pledged P500,000 to the foundation for the Sinulog festivities.
Last January, Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III committed to give P1 million to the SFI.
Exempt
The last time SFI was accredited by the province was in 2009.
During last week’s PB session, the board deferred approval of SFI’s accreditation because only two board members from SFI, including Ballesteros, were present.
Part of the rule of the verification process for the accreditation requires 50 percent of the organization’s members to be present or in SFI’s case, six of its 12 board members.
Yesterday, only three SFI members were present but the PB decided to exempt the foundation from the rule. Sun Shimura, chairman of the accreditation committee, said this is the first time they made an exemption in the renewal of accreditation.
“Since the foundation has been of great help not only to Cebu City, but to the whole province as well, that was the reason we chose to exempt them from the rule,” Shimura said.
Among the SFI board members are Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, top businessmen Augusto Go, Joseph Gaisano, Robert Go and Renato Dychango, among others.
SFI submitted a certification containing the signatures of its members as proof that they continue to function as a foundation.
“The fact that the board has successfully organized and managed the Sinulog for 35 years is a testament that we have a working board,” said Perecles Dakay, board treasurer, in an interview.