Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama. CDN Digital photo | Wenilyn Sabalo
Updated
CEBU CITY, Philippines—Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said he would look into the delay in giving prizes to those who won in competitions that the city government hosted in the past.
This after reports surfaced that winners of several competitions held six months earlier still need to receive their prizes.
These are the Heritage Summit painting competition winners, the Animal Welfare Summit photo contest, and the Sinegugma Film Festival.
Mayor Rama said his office would coordinate with the organizers of these activities to find out what went wrong.
“You know me, ako sa ‘nang naugon gyud kay utang pagabayaran,” Rama said.
Sam Costanilla, a local film writer and director, took to social media on Tuesday, June 13, to express his disappointment over the city hall’s alleged failure to give the prizes to the winners of these competitions.
“Heritage Summit painting competition. Animal Welfare Summit photo contest. Sinegugma Film Festival. Three competitions that were initiated by the Cebu city government. Winners of 1 & 2 were declared in December 2022 while winners of 3 were announced in March,” Costanilla’s post read.
“And it’s June now, so count how many months the city government had not yet paid those winners. A one-month delay in the release of cash prizes is tolerable … but 6 months?? OMG!! Who’s in charge of the cash prizes? Where are they? In Singapoor?!” he added.
It can be recalled that Costanilla also complained via social media about a delay in giving prizes to Sinulog competition winners in 2021.
READ MORE: Sinulog winners prizes delayed due to COA issues — Casas
Costanilla also hosted the Sinegugma Film Festival announcement of winners and screening of film entries last March.
He told CDN Digital that many winners asked him to post about their prizes that haven’t been given yet.
Meanwhile, Dr. Jessica Maribojoc, head of the City’s Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries, which organized the Animal Welfare Summit Photo Contest, told CDN Digital that while they facilitated the contest, the budget was at the Vice Mayor’s Office (VMO). She said they are also helping follow up on the matter at the VMO.
CDN Digital tried to get the side of Vice Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia, chairman of the City’s Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission (CHAC), which organized the Heritage Summit Painting Competition and Sinegugma Film Festival, but messages to the vice mayor is still unanswered as of this posting.
/bmjo