Sinulog 2024 JOs yet to get paid

CEBU, Philippines — Amid the celebrated success of this year’s Sinulog, the Sinulog Foundation Incorporated (SFI) still has outstanding payables from the Sinulog celebration of 2024 that need to be settled.

Several sources of The Freeman said that honorariums for job order workers who worked during the Sinulog 2024 under SFI have not yet been given to them.

As such, a former staff member of SFI couldn’t help but call out the attention of the SFI executive director, although not dropping names.

The incumbent SFI executive director is Jojo Labella.

The SFI ED was asked to have some “compassion for those who worked during Sinulog but still haven’t received their honorariums.”

“It’s easy for you to make people work, but when it’s time to pay them, you just say the documents/cheque haven’t been signed yet? Why don’t you know how to stand up for them or find a way to help them?” part of the now-deleted post said.

The Freeman reached out to the staff member, who said she posted it out of sympathy for those who were not given their due, mostly from last year. She is no longer privy to whether the same thing happened in this year’s Sinulog.

It was also learned from a production staff member that last year’s production team has not been paid yet as well.

Several follow-ups were made, but they were either told that the checks were yet to be signed, or received no response from SFI at all.

An insider from the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC) also disclosed that SFI still has payables to them from last year and another one this year, even after receiving a big discount.

According to sources, SFI still has a balance of over P60,000. They initially paid around P270,000 instead of the total P900,000. This covers the use of CCSC’s facilities for Sinulog activities and electricity.

Instead of CCSC management collecting concessionaires’ rental and electricity fees, it was SFI that collected the said fees.

“Lugi pa, nya pasmo pa mga tao (workers at the CCSC)… May gani ron si (CCSC manager Jovito Taborada) naningkamot mangayo og food para sa mga personnel,” a source from CCSC said.

This year, CCSC was billing them P500,000 instead of almost P1 million, just to ensure they get paid in full with no more discounts. This year, all events were held at CCSC instead of having the grand parade at the South Road Properties.

The Freeman tried to get SFI Executive Director Jojo Labella’s side, but to no avail.

In the past, most of the delays were related to subsidies and the release of prizes for winners in different contests that are part of the Sinulog calendar of events. – ATO (CEBU NEWS)