CICC mgt board to convene soon

CEBU, Philippines - The management board of the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) will convene within the week to iron out a number of concerns including financial and promotion issues.

Since the board was created in 2007 between the Province of Cebu and Mandaue City, it only met a few times and Mayor Jonas Cortes has reportedly not been receiving reports on the operation of the facility.

Magpale said during their meeting this week, that they will finalize the membership of the board.

Magpale said that apart from her and Cortes as the co-chairpersons, three members would come from Mandaue City and three others would be from the Provincial

Government, which would include former Department of Tourism-7 Regional

Director Dawnie Roa, Atty. Carrie de la Serna- Unchuan and accountant Mabel

Menguito.

Magpale said that they would need to convene immediately since there are

important matters that need to be discussed including concerns on the utility bills.

Lawyer Dara Acusar, Capitol spokesperson for legal and media matters, earlier said that CICC is not earning and its losses since 2008 totaled P41.8M.

During Magpale’s meeting with representatives of the Philippine

Exhibits and Theme Parks Corporation, the firm that manages and promotes

CICC, she learned that the high consumption of power was due to the centralized air-conditioning system.

Last year, the Capitol paid P10.18 million for electricity.

As for water bills, Magpale said that this needs to be discussed next

week since this concerns a contract between the Province and a private water supplier that sells water at P60 per cubic meter, a much higher rate that what the Metropolitan Cebu Water District can offer.

Magpale was amendable to the suggestion of  businessman and vice-gubernatorial candidate Glenn Soco to sell CICC instead of rehabilitating it.

But she said that instead of selling it to private stakeholders, it would be better

to sell it to the Mandaue City Government considering that it stands in its property in the North Reclamation Area.

Cortes has expressed interest to buy CICC and make it their City Hall but he

admitted that the concerns have to be settled first.   — /MBG (FREEMAN)