Councilors okay Panagbenga allocation

Thursday, February 9, 2012

COUNCILORS approved Monday the P4-million City Government subsidy for the Panagbenga Festival.

This after City Administrator Carlos Canilao was grilled by local legislators over the alleged realignment of sports development and disaster management funds to the Panagbenga Festival budget.

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Councilors Edison Bilog and Peter Fianza focused their questions on the city-operated swimming pool at the Burnham Park Complex which they said have not been maintained in the past years, as the heating system of the pool has not been functioning for years.

Bilog alleged the budget for the swimming pool and City Hall Fitness Center amounting to P1.7 million was scrapped from the budget to give way for the festival subsidy.

However, the city administrator emphasized they have already allocated money for the swimming pool under the City Environment and Parks Management Office.

He said the city finds it not feasible to heat up the pool which will cost them P40,000 monthly, which according to him, would not balance with the existing income of the pool.

Meanwhile, Canilao said councilors’ questions on city disaster funds which allegedly were reduced were unfounded.

He claimed the City Government has an additional P2-million budget allotted for basic equipments needed for disaster risk reduction and management.

He also clarified the decrease in City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council’s budget is a result of the reduction of its personnel from 17 employees to 12 employees this year.

As to the Panagbenga subsidy, he stressed majority of the budget will be for prizes of various activities such as the Grand Float and Street Dancing Parades, Drum and Lyre Competition, Barangay Clean and Green contest, Media Competitions, Landscaping contest, Pony Boy’s Day and other activities.

Canilao also stressed the budget coming from the city was focused mostly on prizes to avoid questions from the Commission on Audit.

This was detailed in a breakdown that the Panagbenga Executive Committee furnished the City Government last week.

However, Councilor Betty Lourdes Tabanda reminded the organizers some P110,000 was not yet paid for Barangay Clean and Green participants last year.

This was immediately answered by Panagbenga chief of staff Amboy Guevarra who promised the councilors that the Baguio Flower Festival Foundation Inc. will pay the balance to the previous year’s participants.

With the approval of the Panagbenga budget, participants will be assured of bigger prizes this year.