THE saga of the Burnham Park carnival continues as Baguio City Councilor Leandro Yangot cites violations in agreements for the ongoing trade fair at Juan Luna Drive.
In an interview with SunStar Baguio, Yangot said the City Council has moved to request Mayor Mauricio Domogan to have carnival rides at Juan Luna drive ordered closed as it is not included in the agreement made for the now controversial trade fair.
“We have authorized the city secretary to write the mayor to express the disgust of the Council on the desire to have the carnival rides closed, it is not part of the activities agreed on,” said Yangot.
SunStar sources reveal that the rides were given a go signal by a staff of the Office of the City Mayor without Domogan’s consent.
Yangot said there are two organizers of the Office of the City Social Welfare and Development Office (OCSWADO) trade fair, Akier Camayog Hakim of Jambal Akier Events Organizing services and Arcelita Atilano of JJ Trading.
Yangot said it is the Akier Camayog Hakim side of the trade fair which has major violations such as no landscaping has made, his payment for the bid came late but was still accommodated by the city, his tents are not the prescribed size and look, carnival rides have been installed without approval of the Council and trees in the surrounding areas have been compromised.
Two operators won the right to operate the trade fair for 30 days, bidding P4 million for the space and allotting another P150,000 for the park’s landscaping.
Part of the proceeds of the event will also go to livelihood programs as well as dialysis patients.
A city resolution mandates to maintain cleanliness of the areas assigned to the operators.
Yangot said cleanliness has also been compromised in the area of Akier Camayog Hakim.
Last week, Vice Mayor Edison Bilog expressed his opposition to the trade fair carnival rides, saying only the trade fair at Juan Luna Drive, which aims to raise P2 million for the city’s drug rehabilitation program, was approved by the Council.