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Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Baguio council returns festival management to founder
By Rimaliza Opiña
TO DO AWAY with insinuations that the handling of the Panagbenga Flower Festival is replete with anomalies, majority of the Baguio City Council members Tuesday agreed to give back its management to its founders.
But the handling of next year's event and even the subsequent flower festivals would still depend on the officers of the Baguio Panagbenga Flowerfest Foundation Inc. (BPFFI), in particular its founder, Damaso Bangaoet Jr.
In Tuesday's deliberations of the ad hoc committee report, Councilor Federico Mandapat Jr. said it would be now up to the foundation if it still wants to handle the event.
In the event that it no longer is interested to handle the event, the mayor would have to decide if he would let other groups handle the Panagbenga, Mandapat said, adding the proposal is also an acknowledgement of the Foundation's contribution to what has become the city's biggest crowd-drawing and revenue earning event.
But approval of the ad hoc committee's report did not pass without raising issues on the alleged mismanagement of this year's Panagbenga as well as the reported unaccounted public funds the past two festivals.
While majority of the councilors agreed that the festival's management should be given to a more experienced group, Councilors Jose Molintas and Galo Weygan said not all of the blame should be thrown against the BPFFI.
Referring to the delayed submission of the audit report, Weygan said this was brought about by the failure of heads of the different committees to submit their respective liquidation reports.
Molintas added that the council should also look into how the finances were handled for the past two years, stressing there were public funds spent.
This as Molintas questioned why and how former mayor Bernardo Vergara, former city administrator Jose Taguba and City Budget Officer Leticia Clemente were able to open an account under the Foundation's name allegedly without Bangaoet's knowledge.
He added the council should also look into the agreement signed by Kuryente Graphix Inc. (KGI), then the marketing arm of the Panagbenga.
"Comparison (with Baguio Panagbenga Flower Festival Association Inc.) is one sided. You choose to close your eyes to the past Panagbenga," Molintas said, explaining that in a memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed between KGI and the former mayor, KGI also reportedly have to remit P1M, which he claimed was not contained in the audit report of the previous Panagbenga.
Molintas hinted the former mayor may have "used" the Foundation in opening the bank account because infusion of public funds into a private account need not go through the government's audit procedure.
He reiterated that if there was only a change in management, Bangaoet should have known that an account was opened for the Foundation, as there is supposed to be a corresponding board resolution, which authorizes the opening of a bank account.
"The former mayor used two hats without the knowledge of the Foundation...somebody was making use of the BFFFI like it was his," Molintas claimed.
Meanwhile, Clemente denied any irregularity in the handling of the event, adding that while the Commission on Audit (COA) could not inspect a private entity's accounts, COA was furnished a copy of the report, including expenses incurred from the public funds.
She said this (fund) was used for infrastructure development such as the refurbishment of some of the city's thoroughfares while some were given to the former Office of the City Architect and Parks Superintendent.
"It is unfair to be branded as corrupt. Our records are open to scrutiny," Clemente said.
Apparently referring to Mayor Braulio Yaranon's press statements that public funds have yet to be accounted for, Clemente clarified that all records pertaining to the disbursement of funds are kept in a vault at the City Accountants Office.
She said this could be inspected by anyone, but said that there are some documents that could not be turned-over to the mayor, as they are the Foundation's property.
Councilor Faustino Olowan, meanwhile, suggested the mayor should call an executive-legislative meeting. "The Panagbenga should be an activity of everybody. This might create divisiveness again."
Those who voted in favor of the ad hoc committee report were Councilors Daniel Fariñas, Elmer Datuin, Antonio Tabora Jr., Leonardo Bayan Jr., Rufino Panagan, Erdolfo Balajadia, Tenefrancia, Mandapat, and Rondez. Abstaining were Councilors Olowan, Molintas and Weygan.
(October 26, 2005 issue)
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