|
Friday, December 02, 2005
City Council hit for override of veto on flowerfest measure
By Rimaliza Opiña
THE ongoing dialogue between Baguio City Mayor Braulio Yaranon and Baguio Representative Mauricio Domogan did not deter the mayor from attacking members of the City Council Thursday for overriding his veto on the return of the management of the 2006 and subsequent flower festivals to the Baguio Flower Festival Foundation, without considering the merits why the resolution was vetoed.
"They should have settled the issues raised (in the veto message)," the mayor said, while assailing the City Council for being "arbitrary" when they favored giving back management of the Panagbenga to its founders.
The mayor maintains that Resolution 294-2005 could not be implemented allegedly because of the existence of two flowerfest foundations. One that is headed by its founder, lawyer Damaso Bangaoet Jr., which was registered at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 1998, while another is the Foundation led by Domogan and former Mayor Bernardo Vergara, which, the mayor claims, was founded only recently.
"BFFFI (Baguio Flower Festival Foundation Inc.) has serious problems," the mayor said, referring to the alleged unauthorized actions done by some members of its board.
Without naming names, the mayor said banking and corporation laws have been violated when 15 new members to the board were included and processes in converting the Foundation into a non-stock corporation were allegedly dispensed with.
The mayor said he had pointed this out in a previous meeting that he, Domogan and Bishop Carlito Cenzon had late last week, where the solon reportedly insisted on having the Foundation lead the 11th Panagbenga, even as Bangaoet in a separate meeting with businesswoman Nelia Cid a day before, agreed to a truce in jointly managing the upcoming event.
To prove that there allegedly is a violation of banking and corporation laws, the mayor suggested that deans of the Colleges of Law of Saint Louis University and the University of the Cordilleras, together with the president of the local chapter of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines be invited to explain this.
Councilor Daniel Fariñas, dean of the University of Baguio College of Law, was excluded since he is one of those who voted for the approval of Resolution 294-2005.
"They are neutral lawyers who could comment on the legality of the board's actions."
The City Council, meanwhile, is set to have an executive session Friday to discuss the current impasse regarding the Panagbenga.
Last November 3, the mayor vetoed Resolution 294-2005 on the grounds that corruption allegedly took place in the 2003 and 2004 celebrations of the Panagbenga. The mayor said some P2.4 million in public funds have to be accounted for by the Foundation.
Under the City Government's supervision, he said that it was allegedly shortchanged because only 10 percent of collections went to the city's coffers, while 90 percent went to a private promotions firm.
City Budget Officer Leticia Clemente, then chair of the festival's Ways and Means committee, and Domogan denied the allegation, stressing that while the Commission on Audit could not audit private funds, documents relative to the disbursement of funds is open to scrutiny and is at present kept at a vault at the Office of the City Accountant.
The mayor also argued that even with financial problems encountered by the Baguio Panagbenga Flower Festival Association, not a single centavo was spent for the event.
But to avoid allegations that the past and even present officials have vested interests in the Panagbenga, Councilor Federico Mandapat Jr., filed a resolution, which last October, was approved by a majority of the members of the Council.
(December 2, 2005 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
|
[return to top]
[home]
[network page]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
|
