Capitol donates P3M for Sinulog

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu provincial government will donate P3 million to the Sinulog Foundation to help the organizers of the annual event.

Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III, in a press conference, said the Capitol has always supported the Sinulog activities every year.

Pericles Dakay, President of the Sinulog Foundation, sent a letter to the governor dated November 22, which the Provincial Governor's Office (PGO) received on December 6.

"The Sinulog Foundation comes again to the Province of Cebu, as its steadfast partner, to ask for your invaluable support and assistance for the upcoming Sinulog 2018," Dakay wrote.

The Foundation requested an assistance of P3 million, which Davide immediately approved.

Provincial Treasurer Manny Guial said that it has always been the amount requested and approved by the Capitol in the past years.

Based on the records at the Provincial Treasury, the Capitol gave P3 million in 2016 and 2017. The province gave P1.5 million to the Sinulog Foundation in 2015.

Another noticeable factor in the history of donations is that the cash assistance was released months after the Sinulog event. For instance, the cash assistance for Sinulog 2017 was only received in May of the same year.

Guial said there was still an improvement in the release dates of the financial assistance, since the previous years showed that the recipient got the check in the last quarter of the year.

Last Friday, Davide said that the P3 million assistance for 2018 is yet to be discussed by the Provincial Board (PB).

At present, Vice Governor Agnes Magpale said that the next PB session is scheduled on the third week of January. The Sinulog season also falls on the same week. (FREEMAN)