THE Bacolod City Council approved a resolution yesterday requesting the Silver MassKara Festival Organization Inc. (SMFOI) and the Kasadya Bacolod Development Foundation Inc. (KBDFI) to submit audited financial statements in relation to the festival celebrations from 2013 to 2016.
The resolution was originally proposed by Councilor Claudio Jesus Raymundo Puentevella only requesting the SMFOI festival director Eli Francis Tajanlangit to furnish the City Council a copy of an audited financial statement in relation to the 2016 MassKara Festival celebration.
However, Councilors Em Ang and Caesar Distrito moved a subsidiary motion to include the KBDFI in the submission of financial reports on the festival celebrations from 2013 to 2015.
Those who voted in favor of the passage were Distrito, Ang, Cindy Rojas, Elmer Sy, Renecito Novero, and Bartolome Orola.
Those who voted against it were Puentevella, Wilson Gamboa, and Sonya Verdeflor. Councilor Ann Marie Palermo abstained while Councilors Dindo Ramos and Noli Villarosa were absent. Councilor Ricardo Tan was acting presiding officer.
“We are in favor for the sake of transparency,” Distrito said.
He said that in the past three years, his colleagues did not approve the resolution requiring the KBDFI to submit a financial report for their claim that they are a private organization.
“But all of a sudden, they now proposed a resolution to require the SMFOI to submit a financial report, which by the way is also our advocacy. We support the resolution provided the KBDFI will also submit a report to be fair and be transparent about it,” he added.
“The irony about it, those who had opposed before is now the one who is proposing so there was a sudden change of heart, just because that there was a change of administration?" Distrito asked.
“Let us be fair and be consistent because the Grupo Progreso is consistent with our stand that it should be transparent,” he added.
If both the SMFOI and KBDFI fail to submit their reports, they will endorse the resolution to the City Legal Office for necessary action, Distrito said.
For his part, Tajanlangit said that since they handled the MassKara Festival in 2004, they have always rendered an accounting of the funds they received.
“But I have an issue with the author of the resolution, who is the son of former Mayor Monico Puentevella, who was not even able to account for the festival celebration that was under his administration," he said.
“As of now, we are in the middle of accounting, even the sponsorships in kind that we received will be accounted for, as we have been accounting for in the years from 2004 to 2012. I think, with me and Councilor Puentevella has no problem, I will account,” he added.
