New board to ‘boost transparency’

EXCHANGE OF GIFTS. Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia brings delicacies from the towns as a gift to Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella for allowing the Province to use the Cebu City Sports Center for the Pasigarbo sa Sugbu festival. Labella returns the favor by giving Garcia a replica of the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño de Cebu. (Contributed Photo)
EXCHANGE OF GIFTS. Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia brings delicacies from the towns as a gift to Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella for allowing the Province to use the Cebu City Sports Center for the Pasigarbo sa Sugbu festival. Labella returns the favor by giving Garcia a replica of the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño de Cebu. (Contributed Photo)

THE Cebu City Sinulog Governing Board (CCSGB), established by an executive order, is meant to lighten the work of the Sinulog Foundation Inc. (SFI), and will help in the handling of funds for the annual festival.

Mayor Edgardo Labella gave this clarification after Vice Mayor Michael Rama, who was elected as SFI chairman on Aug. 2, 2019, questioned the creation of the board.

Labella said Wednesday, Aug. 28, the CCSGB will serve as Cebu City’s representative and will work with SFI, which is a non-government organization, to make sure the Sinulog Festival in 2020 will be successful.

“As mayor, I have this duty to see to it that all these concerns will be addressed and I am even glad that the vice mayor is the chairman of SFI, so we can work well together,” said Labella, who added that the board’s priorities will be on traffic, peace and order and disaster management.

Labella also said Rama is included in the CCSGB as chairman of the SFI. Five members of the SFI board of trustees will be included in the CCSGB, plus the eight members who will be appointed by Labella.

“I hope I can talk to him (Rama) over this so that there will be no misunderstanding. And I don’t want that to happen because, after all, we have the same purpose — to have a very successful Sinulog,” Labella said.

Rama said he is willing to meet with Labella but wants to meet with SFI officials first.

Labella said he decided to put up the CCSGB since it will include all the agencies needed for the event. He also said he wants everything to be transparent. He said he wants the public to know how much funds the SFI — through sponsorships and stalls along Osmeña boulevard — will raise for the Sinulog.

“There are stalls that will be put up on city streets. For so many years, the City had no knowledge of how much all these have generated. There has to be some kind of accountability because anything that is being collected is imbued with public character,” he said.

Meanwhile, Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia dropped by Labella’s office to thank the mayor for letting the Province use the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC) for its revived Pasigarbo 2019 last Aug. 25.

Labella assured Garcia that Capitol can use the CCSC every year for the Pasigarbo festival, which had dancing contingents from the different towns of the province.

On the other hand, Garcia said the Pasigarbo in August completes Cebu City’s Sinulog Festival in January and that other contingents who joined the Province’s festival will join the Sinulog. (from PAC of Superbalita Cebu/ML)

Trending

No stories found.

Just in

No stories found.

Branded Content

No stories found.
SunStar Publishing Inc.
www.sunstar.com.ph