THERE will be no Mudpack Festival this June 5.
The cancellation of this year's festival was confirmed yesterday by Negros Occidental Provincial Administrator Lucille Gelvolea.
This was due to the reduction of the province’s Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) by 23 percent this year and led to the reduction of the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) which is quite substantial.
With this, all the MOOE of all offices and Local Government Units were also reduced, Gelvolea said.
The budget for the Mudpack is sourced from the MOOE amounting to P600,000.
They preferred to prioritize the important needs of Mambukal for its regular operations wherein the Mudpack Festival falls on a special event, Gelvolea said.
"We will defer it this year and hopefully our IRA for next year will increase," she said.
Most of the LGUs in the province also experienced the impact of the IRA deduction.
Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. said that the province has its other source of income, independent from the IRA.
The reduction is pegged at P47 million.
Meanwhile, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan has approved on Wednesday, May 30, the P5 million budget for the Disaster Risk Reduction program of Mambukal Resort given the active seismic activity of Mt. Kanlaon.
This is more important than Mudpack, Gelvolea said.
It would be better to take care of the safety to those who will go to Mambukal, she said.
She apologized to those who placed their early reservations in relation to the yearly Mudpack Festival.
Many offices of the provincial government have, in fact, started their preparation for the Mudpack, but sad to say this year's festival will not push through, she said.