CEBU, Philippines - Two Cebu City Councilors and 12 other employees from the executive department were scheduled to leave for Korea this morning to join a festival.
The city delegation was composed of Councilors Lea Ouano-Japson and Roberto Cabarrubias, Secretary to the Mayor Belinda Navascues and 11 other employees from different offices who were invited to perform a Sinulog piece during a boat festival in Korea.
They were scheduled to leave Cebu via Air Busan flight at 1:40 a.m. today.
The trip was authorized by the Department of the Interior and Local Government despite its recent memorandum that discourages travels, such as lakbay aral, holding of seminars and trainings outside the Local Government Unit’s jurisdiction.
The travel order however only authorized the members of the delegation to charge their plane ticket to the city’s account for foreign travel.
Their accommodations will be shouldered by the local government of Yeosu City but they still have to get money from their own pockets for their food because they were not allowed to collect per diem.
“The hotel will only serve breakfast so we have to spend for our lunch and dinner,” Cabarrubias said.
He said the DILG might have been stricter this time because of the recent DILG memorandum mandating local government units to refrain from conducting seminars, trainings and other activities outside their territorial jurisdiction.
He said that the city has to send a delegation because they have already confirmed their presence. Delegates from Yeosu City were also in Cebu City last January for the Sinulog Grand Parade.
The roundtrip ticket costs around P17,000 each which is approximately P283,000 for 14 people. They were invited by Yeosu City in South Korea which is one of Cebu City’s sister cities.
They will attend the Yeosu International Tall Ship Festival which is celebrated alongside the Yeosu Great Turtle Ship Festival held every early May.
The International Tall Ship Festival features a broad selection of tall ships from around the world at the same time displaying the beauty of coastal Yeosu.
It is celebrated alongside with the Great Turtle Ship Festival which is a celebration of Yeosu’s military history, culture and arts. The highlights of the festival include the Tongjeyeong Parade, the Jinnamje Festival, the Great Turtle Ship Song Festival, the Dolsan Got Kimchi Festival and the seafood Festival.
The city officials will serve as one of the honored guests while the dancers will perform a Sinulog piece for entertainment at the same time to promote Cebu’s own Sinulog Festival.
To recall, representatives from Yeosu City was also in Cebu last January for the Sinulog Grand Parade
Meanwhile, Cebu City Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young also plans to defy the DILG memorandum saying that the city’s school board will give incentive to day care center teachers and public school principals by allowing them to experience an education tour in Camiguin.
Young, chairman of the committee on education, said the expenses will be charged to the local school board funds.
Young said he sees nothing wrong to allow the teachers to have educational tour which they have done before in the Province of Bohol.
Young said the Commission on Audit did not question the tour as they have justified the activities.— /FPL (FREEMAN)