STILL ON TOP OF SINULOG?

Suspended Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama (seated) chats with Sinulog Foundation, Inc. trustees Robert Go and Edward Hayco (right) after a meeting he presided as chairman in Summit Circle Hotel. The foundation president Engr. Pericles Dakay and other businessmen on the board, including the Execom chaired by Jocelyn Pesquera, attended the meeting. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)

Suspended Mayor Rama chairs Sinulog Foundation meeting

With the Sinulog barely four weeks away, suspended Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama made good his promise to stay “active” in its preparations.

He presided yesterday over the annual meeting of the board of trustees of the Sinulog Foundation Inc. (SFI), the private entity that oversees the promotion, fund-raising and mounting of the annual festival with a large subsidy from City Hall.

The closed-door meeting was held at the Summit Circle hotel.

Rama has been chairman of the foundation since he assumed the mayorship in 2010.

The lineup of activities and budget needs were on the agenda of what he called “Mega Sinulog 2016,” his last Cebu city festival for his current term as mayor.

Workers start assembling the main stage for the Jan. 17 Sinulog festival at the Cebu City Sports Complex. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)

Rama’s prominent role in the foundation, and his desire to be in the thick of the action is sure to stir questions about the impact of his 60-day preventive suspension by the Office of the President.

The suspension was served Dec. 10 and runs until February.

The Sinulog grand parade on Jan. 17 is the highlight of a nine to ten-day celebration of parades, religious processions, cultural presentations and entertainment.

Rama said he wasn’t worried about the P30 million assistance requested from the Cebu city government for the Sinulog because this was programmed long before his suspension took effect.

The City Council will deliberate today on the passage of the city’s annual budget of P8.9 billion for 2016, which includes the routine subsidy for Sinulog.

“It’s already in the (proposed) annual budget. It’s always there. The council will not be questioning that because that’s for the Sinulog. Sinulog is Cebu, it’s not Mike Rama,” Rama told Cebu Daily News after the meeting.

Some quarters had expected Acting Mayor Edgardo Labella to assume the post of chairman.

Since his 2010 election as mayor, Rama has performed the role of chairman of the Sinulog Foundation and “overall chairman of the Sinulog”.

His suspension, however, was not raised as an issue in the closed-door meeting yesterday.

Those who attended were the foundation president Engr. Pericles Dakay, board secretary Renato Dychangco, treasurer Barbara Tan, and board members Robert Go, Augusto Go, Frederick Ong , Enrique Benedicto, Joseph

Gaisano and Edward Hayco, and the executive director Ricky Ballesteros.

Three trustees were not present: Michel Lhuillier, auditor Alfred Go, and Rafaelito Barino. Trustee Sabas Suares recently passed away.

Also present was Jocelyn Pesquera, who is chairperson of a “Sinulog executive committee” whose members include Councilor Hanz Abella. The official Sinulog website identified other execom members as Dakay, Jojo Abella, Tan, Dychangco and Ballesteros.

Despite the suspension, Rama earlier said he could still be active as foundation chairman and as a “parishioner” during the International Eucharistic Congress, where 15,000 delegates, including all Philippine bishops, are expected to arrive for a historic week-long gathering of religious activities on Jan. 24 to 31.

Rama clarified that that foundation was a private entity, not a government body so was not affected by his preventive suspension.

He said he became a trustee of the Sinulog Foundation years ago when he was still vice mayor, and even paid a required one-time P10,000 fee as a board member.

He said his role as chairman was not tied to his designation as Cebu city mayor.

Nevertheless, Rama said the close partnership with the Cebu city government, now headed by his ally Acting Mayor Edgardo Labella is needed to ensure the success of the Sinulog, Cebu’s biggest festival which draws over a million visitors in January.

“The city is always a partner. There can be no Sinulog without the city and the city cannot be running the Sinulog without the foundation. Both have become indivisible,” Rama said.

He said Acting Mayor Labella could join the next meetings so he can be briefed by SFI’s executive committee, chaired by Pesquera, his close ally.

Ballesteros, Sinulog executive director, in earlier interviews, said by tradition the mayor of Cebu city is made the honorary chairman of the foundation because of the need for close coordination with City Hall.

While it stands to receive a P30 million budget from the city government, the foundation has to raise P17 million to P 20 million through sponsorships, ticket sales, and other fund-raising activities for other expenses, explained Ballesteros.

The bulk of the government assistance goes to cash prizes for winners in the street dancing competition.

This year, Sinulog organizers want to give P200,000 as cash assistance for each public school and out-of-town contingent that performs during the Sinulog sa Kabataan and the Grand Parade. This will help defray expenses for rehearsals, costumes, props and choreographers.

The assistance last year was P150,000.

This year, said Ballesteros, they also want to give barangay-based dance contingents as well although the foundation still has to look for other sources to do this.

The board discussed yesterday the budget and scheduled of activities and problems encountered during the last Sinulog in January this year.

STREET PARTIES

This included “crowd control along Mango Ave.”

“There were many activities granted permits by City Hall when in fact we don’t allow street parties along the carousel route. I think we have to implement that strictly this year,” he said.

He said the foundation will issue specific guidelines on how much space off-route activities have to keep away from the parade route.

“The parade route should not be affected especially now that we are expecting a lot of visitors because of the International Eucharistc Congress (IEC). I think that’s the problem,” said Ballesteros.

Church organizers of the IEC expect 15,000 delegates to attend congress activities and a bigger crowd up one million to participate in open air Masses at the South Road Properties on Jan. 31 and a procession on Jan. 29.