CCC ordinance passed on 2nd reading

CEBU, Philippines - The Provincial Board is pushing for the official naming of the Cebu Performing Arts Center in Lahug, Cebu City as the Cultural Center of Cebu through an ordinance.

The ordinance sponsored by PB Member Arleigh Jay Sitoy was already passed in second reading.

Sitoy said there is no existing legal mechanism which would serve as the basis and guide for the provincial government to fund, operate, administer and manage directly and solely the said facility.

The proposed ordinance outlines a governing body to do such duties, through a board of trustees, which will then be chaired by the governor.

The board of trustees will appoint a director, who will be in charge of the over-all operations of the center, including the promulgation and execution of policies and programs, subject to the approval of the board of trustees.

The board of trustees will include a PB member who heads the committee on arts and culture, as the vice chair.

The members will be composed of the chair of the PB committee on education, a representative from the University of the Philippines (UP) Visayas College Campus where the facility is located; a distinguished Cebuano artist endorsed by the committee on arts and culture; a distinguished Cebuano historian endorsed by at least two academic institutions; and four private sector representatives to be appointed by the governor, with a term co-terminus with that of the appointing authority; and the director of the Museo Sugbo, as ex-officio member.

The draft ordinance also stated that the provincial government will appropriate funds annually for the CCC within the first three years. In the succeeding years, the board of trustees is given the option to stop or continue allocating funds.

The construction of the facility started during the time of then governor Vicente dela Serna in 1993, it was pursued by Governor Gwendolyn Garcia who is strongly promoting culture and arts, as well as the preservation of heritage in her 12-point agenda.

After 18 years, the CCC was officially inaugurated and launched last November 25, 2011.  (FREEMAN)