LETTERS FROM THE AGNO

March L. Fianza
Who is controlling Baguio centennial commissioners?

A media pow-wow (I first heard of the coined term from manong Peppot Ilagan) with a theme on Cordillera autonomy will be held Dec. 23 at 9 a.m. in a venue that will soon be announced soon. The event is similar to a media press con “in reverse” more commonly called “gridiron in reverse.”

Here, media personalities are the ones to be grilled, meaning, they will be answering questions fielded by their news sources which are usually composed of government officials such as congressmen, governors, mayors, regional directors, police officials, etc.

The media event will be fun-filled as it is an unusual gathering of media outfits all over Cordillera and their controversial news sources.
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Barely nine months from now, the chartered city of Baguio will celebrate its centennial anniversary. Time flies fast and the awaited celebration comes near, but people have yet to see any positive movement indicating that the city is indeed preparing for its hundredth year anniversary.

Of late, I have never seen or heard of any concrete accomplishment of any project relative to the celebration of Baguio’s 100 years of existence. It looks like the centennial commission team that is supposed to manage, direct and lead the citizenry on to the upcoming celebration, is being delayed by something beyond their control.

Having been born and raised in the city, our distinguished commissioners who are respected in their own fields are people of good vision who have excellent ideas on how to run the events. And so I believe the problem is not in the personalities’ commission.

I have talked to some of them. Not to mention their names, they were one in saying that their hands are tied because they do not have control over the funds that are terribly necessary to start and finish a project.

For example, there were sports events related to the centennial celebration that needed funding. There is a special centennial calendar and a book illustrating Baguio’s grandeur through the years that need publishing. In fact these have already been started with the personal effort and resources of some of the members of the commission.

But, volunteerism has many faces – which remind me of the hen giving away her eggs and the pig that had to be butchered so we could taste its pork. In some instances, a volunteer offers a helping hand but the recipient wants to seize the whole arm.

In the case of the appointed (or disappointed?) commissioners, they have given their time and effort and other resources such as their cars and drivers, their personal staff and all that they can volunteer. Surely, they have also been spending personal money for their mobility, particularly, using up money from their pockets for gasoline and incidental expenses.

Now I think that going to the extent of using personal funds for the city’s centennial anniversary is what extracts the irritation or frustration from within their souls. Looking in from the sidelines, I feel that unacceptable too.

In September, the city council approved the release of P15 million for the celebration of the centennial anniversary. P4 million was also appropriated from the city’s budgets in the past years of which P2 million has already been spent for the commission’s office supplies and working staff. Apart from that, the commission has embarked on fund-raising activities to augment finances. Donations are also pouring in.

The commission has been complaining that the release of the needed funds by the city’s finance team is circuitous, resulting in setbacks for some of activities lined up by the commission. If this persists, you know what will happen. One thing for sure is that there will be finger-pointing among those who feel responsible.

Piece-meal release of the funds necessary for the activities is a “no – no” for a big event such as a centennial celebration of a city we love. But the city’s finance team does not see that as they are bent on releasing funds only after the projects for funding are submitted to them.

If that is the case, they become in control of the activities and the commission has to kneel down and beg for funds which have already been allocated by the city council exclusively for the big event.

Supposedly, activities related to the centennial celebration starts September 1 this year and ends December 31 next year. Those lined up are the rehabilitation of heritage sites and monuments, installation of centennial markers, publication of a centennial coffee table book, a souvenir magazine, centennial run and Kennon Road marathon, invitational motocross, car racing and others.

More activities include the repainting of government buildings, clustering of electric and cable wires, clearing sidewalks and the removal of stalls around the Post Office.

The city’s finance team can release the funds to the commission so they can move, but subject to the usual post audit. If they can not then they might as well take over the work of the commission and call themselves commissioners. Anyway they have been commissioners all along.

Well, a hundredth year celebration for Baguio City minus the big events previously lined up is always welcome for me. Anyway, simplicity is always beautiful. – ozram.666@gmail.com