CEBU City Councilor Eugenio Gabuya has questioned a carnival operator’s legal basis in operating an amusement park at the South Road Properties (SRP) as it failed to undergo a bidding process.
The local lawmaker pointed out that the draft memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the City and John Mer Fun Rides has no document stating that the latter won a bidding to operate the Kasadya sa SRP carnival, which stands on a one-hectare City-owned lot.
He also questioned why only P700,000 would be collected from John Mer Fun Rides as its monthly rental fee.
The draft MOA was submitted to the City Council on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019 by SRP assistant manager Ann Marie Cuizon for approval.
However, the City Council referred the document to the City Legal Office (CLO) for evaluation.
In the draft MOA, the carnival operator is obliged to pay a rental fee of P700,000 in the months of December, January and February. If the agreement is approved, the John Mer Fun Rides would start its operation on Dec. 1, 2019 and end it on Feb. 29, 2020.
Gabuya said the former operators of Kasadya sa SRP underwent a bidding process in the past, and each operator paid P3 million for three months of operation.
John Mer Fun Rides’ legal counsel Raul Padilla urged the City Council to approve the draft MOA as the carnival employees have a lot of work to do—they still have to cut tall grass and dump soil on the compound to elevate the area.
Councilor Raymond Alvin Garcia, on his part, said they still have to wait for the opinion from the CLO before they can decide on the matter.
The City Council then called for an executive session, inviting the officials of the carnival firm and members of the Bids and Awards Committee. The schedule of the meeting is not yet set. JJL