Saturday, November 08, 2008 IDFI starts ball rolling for Dinagyang Festival '09
THE memorandum of agreement (MOA) was finally inked Thursday between Mayor Jerry P. Treñas and officials of the Iloilo Dinagyang Foundation Inc. (IDFI) headed by businessman Lee Chuan.
IDFI will once again spearhead and operate in 2009 the best tourism event of the Philippines that succeeded in putting Iloilo City in the tourism world map as the most sought-after place of the world-famous Dinagyang Festival.
Treñas said there are specific changes in the composition of the IDFI executive committee aimed to spur a stronger festival next year and expected to generate more color, sights and sounds with highlights slated on the fourth week of January.
Newly installed IDFI treasurer Marissa Segovia vowed transparency and more hands-on on the management of the festival to avoid misunderstanding.
Treñas said that changes cover a new composition of the executive committee that includes all city councilors and president of Liga ng mga Barangay city proper district. The foundation is also given four months to submit its audited financial report instead of the usual one-month period.
The barangays in the city proper are also authorized to charge clearance fees on kiosks and stalls put up along the Dinagyang route. The amount will be used for peace and order, sanitation and clean-up operation after the festival.
The City Council has the authority to scrutinize the financial report including income and disbursements, while the city mayor will have a hand in the inspection of books of account of IDFI.
Meanwhile, the IDFI reported a net income of P2.8 million from the proceeds of the Dinagyang Festival 2008 as of October this year after reporting the sources of total funds and disbursements.
In a City Council regular session last November 5, Councilor Eldrid Antiqueira reported that the proceeds were realized from the payment of accounts receivables of more than P3 million. He said only two accounts amounting P90,000 have not yet paid. (LCP)
