Firms asked to donate up to P1m for Sinulog: Solicitation ‘illegal’

CEBU, Philippines — Barangay Captain Ramil Ayuman of Apas, Cebu City expressed alarm by the "irregular" solicitation of their Barangay Mayor's Office (BMO) asking business establishments to shell out P100,000 to P1 million to fund their Sinulog sa Barangay contingent.

He told The FREEMAN that he received complaints from some establishment owners who told him that these solicitors even questioned them if they have the necessary permits from the city government.

“Nangadto sa barangay ang ubang business owners nagdala sa ilahang business permit. Ana ko, ngano nagdala man mo ana nga wala man ko nag-question ana. Mao to pagkita sa solicitation sa ako staff, nahibaw-an nga mga BMO diay,” Ayuman said.

He said it is improper for the BMO to solicit using the names and seals of the city government and the barangay since it is not a government office.

Ayuman said he will write a letter of complaint to Mayor Tomas Osmeña and the Department of the Interior and Local Government to address the issue.

“Ako dili ganahan kay nigamit sila sa logo sa City Hall and barangay.  So, ang huna-huna sa mga tawo is from Barangay Apas gyud, unya dili baya. Then dili sad na pwede ang ilahang gibuhat gawas og naa sila’y endorsement from the mayor,” he said.

Ayuman also urged business owners not to give money to the BMOs because the solicitation is irregular, saying the office is not under the government.

In an interview, Rey Suelto, Apas contingent head, said he was not aware that using the government seal is irregular.

He said that the lack of funds to finance the expenses of their Sinulog presentation prompted him to resort to do the solicitation. In fact, he said the BMOs are not aware that they are doing the solicitation.

“As a private individual, as private capacity nako kay ako man ang gitagaan og tahas ani gud pag-organize.  We all know nga ang Sinulog dili basta-basta. Dako ni nga preparation atong Sinulog, now sa akong tan-aw, if you are organizing this kind of event unya kibaw ka nga walay kuwarta, unsay buhaton? Tanan buhaton aron  moabante inyong buhaton,” Suelto told The FREEMAN.

He said the P300,000 subsidy from the Sinulog Foundation Incorporated is not enough to fund their presentation.  Their choreographer calculated that they would need at least P2 million for their presentation.

Considering that they can’t raise such amount, he told their choreographer to work out with the available funds of P500,000, which already includes the SFI subsidy.

Suelto said he was thankful that Ayuman has mentioned that his action is irregular.

Since Monday, he already stopped distributing the solicitation letters, since none of the business establishments gave money to them.

“Nakahatag na og dugang encouragement, pasalamat mi nga iyaha (Ayuman) na gi-raise kay kibaw mi asa mi sayop ,” he further said.

In a separate interview, Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera of Barug Team Rama said the usage of the seal of the City Hall is a violation of Republic Act 6713, otherwise known as the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

Pesquera said if the BMOs are authorized to solicit money, the raised funds must be declared before the City Treasurer’s Office for the issuance of official receipts.

“Ang atoa gyud diha, they have to distinguish really unsa ang ilahang structure.  Are they part of the government or pseudo sila because we are soliciting in the government?  And if ever naa mosulod nga kuwarta, it should be receipted by the city government kay ang atoa man gud diha, we are not allowed to solicit, naa mana sa atoang Code of Conduct,” she told reporters.

Section 7 (d) of RA 6713 provides that “public officials and employees shall not solicit or accept, directly or indirectly, any gift, gratuity, favor, entertainment, loan or anything of monetary value from any person in the course of their official duties or in connection with any operation being regulated by, or any transaction which may be affected by the functions of their office”.

Pesquera said if these BMOs are raising funds for good, they should do it in the appropriate manner.

“Usahay man gud, there are people ipa-volunteer in the certain activity, sila mismo i-orient relating to it. With the good faith nila to raise funds for their contingents, mao na ang ilahang nakita nga pamaagi, kinahanglan sila giyahan unsay insakto buhaton,” she said.

Councilor Eduardo Rama Jr. said the solicitation is considered illegal if it does not have an authorization from the government.

“Sa isyu nga nangayo sila og solicitation, that’s a big no.  No, if you are not connected with the government. Kung wala say go signal sa treasurer’s office nato kay dili maresiboan, again any form of solicitation is considered against the code of conduct, kuyaw sila ma-Ombudsman ana,” he said.

Councilor Joel Garganera, for his part, said the act of the BMOs is questionable knowing that they are not legally connected to the city government.

“They are not even clothed with authority.  BMO man. I hope they are doing it in honor of Snr. Santo Niño. But my hopes and prayers are with them that they could get all the resources they need and can come up with good performance in Sinulog,” he said. (FREEMANNEWS)