No funds for CIPC, city to do own marketing

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama has found another reason not to release funding for the Cebu Investment Promotions Center/ Cebu Economic and Business Foundation, Inc (CIPC/CEBF) – the mass resignation of six members of its board of trustees.

“The more I will not sign and the more the funds will not be released with the mass or consolidated resignation,” said Rama.

CIPC/CEBF Chairman Geronimo Sta. Ana, Vice Chairman Augusto Go, Treasurer Sabino Dapat, Board of Trustees Rogelio Lim and Enrique Benedicto, and Department of Trade and Industry Regional Director Asteria Caberte filed a mass and consolidated resignation at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) last June 30.

Dapat told The Freeman that he and the others resigned to give stakeholders a free hand to choose new members and new directors.

CIPC is an organization tasked to promote Cebu Province and Cebu City, including the marketing of the South Road Properties (SRP).

Rama said that promotions for Cebu will not be affected with the mass resignation or the city’s refusal to release funds for the CIPC.

The council earlier appropriated a total of P5.4 million in financial assistance for CIPC but only P4 million was originally proposed by the executive department. It also approved a resolution authorizing the mayor to sign a Memorandum of Agreement with CIPC for the release of the funds. However, Rama refused to sign the MOA.

“We (the council) have done our part through the resolution and by approving the budget which is P5.4 million. The rest nagdepende na tanan kay Mayor Rama,” Councilor Margot Osmeña told The Freeman. 

Rama, however, said that with the mass resignation, he is no longer inclined to sign the MOA with the CIPC, adding that the Cebu City government can market the South Road Properties on its own, anyway, through the SRP Management Office.

“CIPC is no longer a marketing arm of South Road Properties (SRP) because when I went to Japan and talked with Megaworld, CIPC was not there but everything was moving with the presence of the SRP Management Office headed by Roberto “Bo” Varquez,” Rama said. 

Rama created the SRP Management Office a few years back to run and to be on top of the SRP marketing promotions and operations.

Because the city has been giving the CIPC funding since 1995, Rama asked the promotions office for a complete liquidation of all funding releases.

Teresita Jesena, a staff at the City Accounting office, said the CIPC received P11.2 million from the city government in 1995, the biggest funding given to the promotions office. In 2011, the city gave CIPC P5.7 million, while in 2012, the city gave P5.9 million to the promotions office.

Jesena, however, said that since 1995 to 2012, CIPC has always been submitting detailed liquidations on how the funds were spent

Rama also requested Sta. Ana and the city council to appear before his office to clear the issue.

“If di sila (council) ganahan nga dunay mo-represent sa CIPC para mo-explain, I’ll be the one taking the initiative to call their attentions para kahibalo ang tanan sa real score so dapat mangutana what made them render a mass resignation and I am sure di politika ang hinungdan,” Rama told reporters.  — /QSB (FREEMAN)