BAGUIO
CITY – The Baguio Flower Festival Foundation Inc. (BFFFI) vowed to comply with
the recommendations of the Commission on Audit to sustain the city’s major
crowd-drawing event held between February and March every year.
Appearing before the regular session of the
city Council last Monday, Andrew Pinero, media officer of the Hotel and
Restaurant Association of Baguio, said had the audit findings been provided the
BFFFI the earliest possible time, the foundation could have initiated
appropriate moves to comply with the COA findings to improve handling of the
flower festival.
Among the COA findings is the absence of a
policy in the full accounting of funds and memorandum of agreement between the
local government and the BFFFI for the conduct of the festival.
The COA found out collection of special
permit fees during the festival was assigned to BFFFI contrary to Section 130©
of the Local Government Code considering act of allowing a private entity to
collect fees and charges is contrary to the fundamental principles governing
the exercise of the taxing and other revenue-raising power of the local
government.
It was found gross amount earned were not
fully collected showing a balance of P253,727.76 as indicated in the COA
report.
Pinero said matters raised by the COA will be
brought to the attention of the BFFFI for them to craft guidelines in
management of the annual flower festival and memorandum of agreement between
the local government and foundation.
However, in relation to the uncollected
amount contained in the COA report, Pinero claimed the foundation will
coordinate with the concerned offices of the local government to synchronize
their records to clear the amount from the COA report.
Pinero said partnership between the local
government and private sector in the city’s major festival will be enhanced to
guarantee successful conduct of events lined up for the month-long celebration
from February 1 to March 5 this year.
The HRAB official told local legislators the
foundation will comply with requirements of the COA for full accounting of
funds generated by organizers for various income-generating activities during the
month-long festivities.
He said the BFFFI had been religiously
submitting to the city its audited financial report similar to what it had been
submitting to the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Pinero added the foundation’s financial
statement had always been published in local newspapers for the information of
the public and in deference to their policy of transparency and accountability
so the people will be fully aware of how funds were generated and spent
for successfully staging events lined up
for the festival annually. -- Dexter A. See
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