Buglasan Festival activities to return to original venueLGU booths to remain at Sidlakang Village
By Rachelle M. Nessia
DUMAGUETE CITY, June 21 -- The activities for this year's Buglasan Festival of Festivals will be staged at the Capitol grounds in October, five years after the festival was moved to Sidlakang Negros Village (SNV).
Capitol Information Officer Adrian Sedillo said the festival activities will return to the Capitol grounds this year following discussions between the provincial government and the local government units (LGUs) here.
The Negros Oriental Tourism Council earlier proposed to transfer the venue of the Buglasan Festival activities and booths back to the Capitol grounds but several local government officials rejected the move due to budgetary constraints.
Held in October each year, the Buglasan Festival’s activities and LGU-constructed booths were originally set up at the Capitol grounds and Freedom Park (located in front of the Capitol building) when the provincial government revived the festival in 2002 under the administration of then Governor and now 2nd District Rep. George Arnaiz.
In 2007, during the time of the late Gov. Emilio Macias II, the festival was moved to SNV in Piapi, Dumaguete City where LGUs erected permanent fixtures for their booths.
This year, Gov. Degamo’s office received suggestions on the possibility of moving the Buglasan Festival back to the more spacious Capitol grounds and Freedom Park, prompting the Governor to order the Provincial Tourism Council led by Dr. Nick Elman to conduct a survey to collect feedback on the proposed move.
Reports quoting Dr. Elman indicate that 80% to 85% of said survey’s respondents favor the move to bring the festival back to the Capitol grounds.
Sedillo said that after meeting with the mayors, the governor decided that only the festival activities will be brought back to the Capitol grounds after the mayors bucked the plan to construct LGU booths in front of the Capitol.
Degamo initially offered the LGUs a P100,000 subsidy to put up their booths in front of Capitol but the mayors begged off, saying that the subsidy is not enough for the booth construction and they do not have the funds to cover the needed amount.
“They are going to support the various Buglasan activities but the plan of constructing another booth in the Capitol grounds is not quite practical as all local government units presently feel the impact of their reduced share of the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA),” said Sedillo.
The governor said the LGU booths will stay at the Sidlakang Negros Village.
“Sidlakang Negros Village will remain as the show window of all the provincial government’s efforts in the promotion of culture, arts, heritage and tourism potentials in Negros Oriental,” Degamo said.
Sedillo added that corporations and private establishments are invited to set up their own booths at the Freedom Park. (RMN/PIA Negros Oriental)
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Proposed terminal fee hike in Dumaguete airport opposed
By Jennifer C. Tilos
DUMAGUETE CITY, June 21 (PIA) -- The proposed increase in Dumaguete airport terminal fee is being opposed by a local business group here, saying this was without basis and impractical.
In a public hearing and consultation conducted recently by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), it was revealed that the airport terminal fee will be hiked from P30 to P150
Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Ed Du said raising the terminal fee by more than 500 percent was too much, as only P115 is needed for the airport to breakeven.
Engr. Raul Glorioso, CAAP acting department manager, said that the proposed hike aims to help recover cost of investments in airport infrastructure and navigational projects, and maintenance and operating expenses in Area 6 Airports in Central Visayas.
Glorioso said that the Dumaguete airport facilities were improved and rehabilitated including its centralized air conditioning system, lighting facilities, and other amenities for the convenience of terminal users. The office does not have enough funds to maintain the said facilities and the only remedy is to increase its terminal fee, he added.
Ed Du, however, said while he is not against an increase in airport terminal fee per se, any price adjustment should be in accordance with what is needed, practical, and reasonable. City officials and businessmen are pushing for a P115 airport terminal fee instead of P150.
Other proposed airport fee increases include those for Tagbilaran from the present P20 to P100; and Siquijor, Bantayan, and Ubay from P10 to P50. (JCT/PIA-Negros Oriental)