Tribu Lumad Basakanon No Longer Joins Aliwan Fest

Due to lack of the needed budget, the Tribu Lumad Basakanon headed by Basak-San Nicolas Barangay Captain George Rama will no longer join the Aliwan Festival in Manila on April 13.

The barangay captain, cousin of Mayor Michael Rama, said he already informed the organizers of Aliwan Festival that the Tribu Lumad Basakanon will no longer participate this year’s activity.

“Kon two hundred thousand pesos pa lang ang kinahanglang kantidad sayon ra kana nga kapangitaan og budget, apan tulo ka milyon ka pesos … asa ta mangita anang kantidara,” the mayor told the reporters yesterday.

The mayor said his cousin consulted him about his decision to call off the Tribu Lumad Basakanon’s intention to join the Aliwan Festival after the City Council disapproved the recommendation to charge the P3 million to the Pagcor Funds.

“Ikatawa na lang nako ang gihimo sa City Council. Klaro man kini kaayo nga pamolitika kay kaniadto ila man nga gigahinan og budget ang Tribu Lumad Basakanon,” the barangay captain said.

Councilor Margarita “Margot” Osmeña who heads the City Council’s committee on budget and finance said they are just relying on the 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 expenses is not among the guidelines set by Pagcor.

But she said should there be any 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 the City of Cebu P3 million every month as its share for allowing the operation of Casino Filipino in the city.

The Pagcor guidelines in spending its funds includes self-sustainable economic livelihood projects, infrastructure projects essential to the community development, which is related with the delivery of basic health services.

Others are as well as projects designed to prevent widespread disease, the improvement of peace and order, emergency assistance to victims of natural disasters and calamities, projects for social amelioration.

Mayor Michael Rama said he already wrote a letter to the chairman of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation for them to clarify the matter because he still remembers that cultural activities is among the list of projects that Pagcor Funds is to be spent.

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

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