All systems go for Dinagyang 2007
Children watch the initial performance of
Dinagyang tribes during last Friday's
opening salvo atop the statue of Maria
Clara in Rizal Street.
photo by A. Chris Fernandez
It's all systems go for this year's Dinagyang Festival.
Iloilo Dinagyang Foundation Inc. (IDFI) Executive Director Ben Jimena said financial contributions for the festivities keep on coming.
He said the foundation has collected and on the process of collecting the P10 million pledges.
Jimena said there is no cause to worry even if they are still waiting for some contributions. The contributions will come before the final celebration. Of the P10 million pledges, they have already collected the P3 million from the city government and the P520,000 from the United Nations Development Program.
"We are 99.9 percent ready," he declared.
Earlier, the foundation was rocked because of the financial constraint they are facing with the decreased of the financial contribution of Smart Telecoms. Last year, Smart donated P8 million to the foundation for the Dinagyang celebration.
The other pledges include P2 million from Globe; P2 million Smart; P1 million from Department of Tourism regional office; P500,000 from Representative Raul Gonzalez Jr.; P300,000 - Petron; P100,000 - PLDT/E-Ventus; P50,000 from Vitarich and P500,000 from the joint pledges of Pepsi, Coke, San Miguel Corporation and Asia Brewery.
He said the entire celebration needs P11 million budget and the pledges and contributions only amounted to P10 million. They will get the remaining P1 million from the sales of tickets in different judging areas, rentals of kiosks and donations from smaller corporations.
Moreover, Jimena said the city government through Mayor Jerry Treñas and with the approval of the Sangguniang Panlungsod has contributed another additional financial assistance to 15 competing tribes in the ati competition. Of the 20 competing tribes, only 15 tribes were given additional financial support.
Jimena said 13 competing tribes received P20,000 additional financial assistance and two tribes received P10,000 each. He did not specify which tribe received such amount. They received a total financial assistance of P220,000. The school-based competing tribes only received P100,000 financial assistance.
The executive director said they have no more problems with the different committees involved in the celebration. "We want to believe that we don't have problems anymore, " said Jimena.