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Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Panagbenga '06 proceeds to pay for lights: official
By Rimaliza Opiña
AS IT IS NOW clear that there would be two flower festivals next month, one group is expecting to raise more than P4 million because part of the proceeds would have to be set aside for the payment of the newly installed Burnham Park lights.
This, as businesswoman Nelia Cid, chairperson of the Baguio Panagbenga Flower Festival Association (BPFFA) and a member of the Lift Up Baguio (LUB) movement, said the insinuation by some councilors that the money reportedly used to pay a company that installed lights at the Burnham Park was derived from the proceeds of the 2005 Panagbenga, is uncalled for.
"It is speculative and conjectural," Cid said, adding that the lights installed amounting to P4 million has not yet been paid.
She declined to name the company that installed the lights but said those in charge of the company were kind enough to install them even if payment would come later.
Cid said it has been the LUB's commitment to help beautify the city, and the put up of additional lights at the Burnham Park is one of their projects. "We merely concretized our pronouncements," she said as she reiterated that there is nothing irregular with the project.
And while officials who are privy to the donation declined to talk about the project, she clarified that there is already a deed of donation transmitted to the mayor's office. She said she is not aware if instructions were given to some city officials not to talk about the details of the project.
The City Council, in its session last Monday, invited City Engineer Leo Bernardez to clarify the installation of lights at the park even before it confirmed the P1,920,87.84 contract by Rajce Construction for the improvement of the Burnham lighting.
But when asked, Bernardez said he is not aware who the donors were. This however brought some councilors to question why even the city engineer is unaware of the identity of the donors.
Councilors Elmer Datuin and Daniel Fariñas said that for the sake of transparency, the public has to be made aware of the donation.
Datuin also speculated that the money used for the installation and purchase of the lights came from the 2005 Panagbenga, and if the suspicion were true, the fund should have been used instead to pay the prizes of the unpaid participants.
Cid said other members of the LUB are Bishop Carlito Cenzon, journalist Cecile Afable, former Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) City Director Armando Galimba, Irene Tamsi and businessman Geoffrey Perez, among others.
(January 25, 2006 issue)
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