Tribu cancels plan to join Aliwan

CEBU, Philippines - Due to financial constraints, the famous Tribu Lumad Basakanon will no longer join the Aliwan Festival in Manila on April 13.

The group’s leader, Basak-San Nicolas Barangay Captain George Rama said

he already informed the organizers of the Aliwan Festival that they are not participating in this year’s competition.

Mayor Michael Rama, George, who is his cousin, consulted him about his decision not to join the Aliwan Festival because the City Council did not allow to charge the needed budget of P3 million to the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) Funds.

“If they only need P200,000, we can easily raise the amount.  But they need P3 million.  Where are we going to look for that amount?” the mayor said.

Rama said it is obvious that the City Council’s move not to grant the requested budget was politically motivated.

Councilor Margarita “Margot” Osmeña who heads the City Council’s committee on budget and finance said they are only following Pagcor’s guidelines issued last year.

Osmeña said since the activity is cultural in nature, her committee cannot recommend for its approval because such kind of expense is not included the guidelines set by Pagcor.

But she said should there be an updated communication from Pagcor showing that cultural activities is one of the qualified projects to be funded by its donation to the city, the City Council will comply with the guidelines.

Pagcor is giving Cebu City P3 million every month as its share for allowing the operation of Casino Filipino in the city.

In the guidelines, Pagcor funds can only be spent for self-sustainable economic livelihood projects, infrastructure projects essential to the community development, which is related with the delivery of basic health services,  projects designed to prevent widespread disease, the improvement of peace and order, emergency assistance to victims of natural disasters and calamities and projects for social amelioration.

Rama said he already wrote a letter to the chairman of Pagcor for them to clarify the matter.

He said he remembers charging cultural activities to Pagcor Funds in the past.

Rama believed that Tribu Lumad Basakanon will again give another pride to Cebu City if it can join the Aliwan Festival, which is described as the country’s grandest festival.

The Tribu Lumad Basakanon was already elevated to the Hall of Fame after winning the Grand prize in the Aliwan Festival for three consecutive years in 2005, 2006 and 2007. — /MBG (FREEMAN)