On second reading, PB oks changes in Suroy rules

CEBU, Philippines - The Sangguniang Panlalawigan has approved on second reading proposed amendments for the Suroy-Suroy Sugbo ordinance which includes the addition of a trust fund where all finances collected from the program should be deposited.

Based on the recent Commission on Audit (COA) report on the Suroy-Suroy Sugbo program of the provincial government, the commission pointed out concerns on the expenses and the transparency of the finances of the program.

As a proposed amendment to the existing Suroy-Suroy Sugbo ordinance, Provincial Board member Arleigh Sitoy said that a trust fund should be made where all funds, including those collected as payment from the participants, should be deposited.

Sitoy stressed that the program is “not a business enterprise but was designed to draw tourists from the mainstream to the countryside and catalyze allied development programs through cooperative efforts between public and private enterprises as a spin-off of the project.”

Another amendment proposed is on the recognition of who is behind the program as the current ordinance states that it is “An Ordinance Rationalizing and Institutionalizing the Suroy-Suroy Sugbo Program of Cebu Province” and with former Governor Gwendolyn Garcia as the  originator of the program in 2004.

In the proposed amendment, it indicated that the Suroy-Suroy Sugbo was first launched in 2005 by the Balik Cebu Group as part of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Cebu Business Month celebration and was later on adopted by Garcia as a Provincial Tourism project. 

Further, with the amendments, the Suroy-Suroy Sugbo commission would include the Balik Cebu Core Group and the president or representative of Hotels, Resorts, and Restaurants Association of Cebu (HRRAC), the chairman or representative of National Association of Independent Agencies, and the president of Cebu Tourism Officers Association (CTOA).

Also, the provincial tourism officer will also act as the executive director of the Suroy-Suroy Sugbo commission on top of the functions designated to him. The executive director will be responsible in accepting bookings for Suroy-Suroy visits and endorsing this to the Provincial Treasurer for payment.

The Suroy-Suroy program is the tourism program of the Provincial government that promotes tourism by taking tourists to municipalities and cities in the province. 

In the COA report for the year 2012, the commission said that the Suroy-Suroy Sugbo program was laudable in its efforts to promote Cebu as a prime tourist destination. But the COA recommended that expenses could have been minimized.

Vice Governor Agnes Magpale have earlier assured though that the recommendations of COA has been noted and that they have made a number of changes particularly on cutting down of expenses. — (FREEMAN)