Treñas backs IDFI over SP probe
City Mayor Jerry Treñas is confident that the investigation conducted by the Sangguniang Panlungsod on the Iloilo Dinagyang Foundation Inc. (IDFI) will have a more positive result. He said the foundation through its executive director Ben Jimena has done so much in improving the Dinagyang festival.
Treñas expects that the result of the investigation will lead into a harmonious relationship between the foundation and the legislative body. He hopes that the same investigation will yield a "constructive result."
The foundation has worked so hard to make the festival bigger and bigger, the mayor said. Last year, Dinagyang festival, for the second time, was chosen by the Association of Tourism Operators of the Philippines (Atop) as the best tourism event in the country. Treñas said with Jimena's presence, the foundation and the festival are in good hands.
Last Tuesday, Jimena was grilled by the legislative body over the alleged questionable selling of tickets for the stages. The complaint of the Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) in the city also added to the conduct of investigation. Barangay captains complained on the decision of the foundation to give one judging area to the Philippine National Red Cross. Before, the Dinagyang proper, the barangay captains were allowed to construct side stages in judging areas 3 and 4.
Treñas said he is not worried at all by the investigation of the city council. He said, it will also pave way for the city and the foundation to take a look at the memorandum of agreement they forged before the festival.
Nevertheless, Treñas said if the legislative body is not at all convinced with the foundation's performance and the way it runs the festival, then members of the legislative body can take hold of running the affair to satisfy them.
The mayor recalled that there were times when the foundation is not yet handling the festival and prizes were not immediately given to the winners. If they want the same thing to happen, then they can take back the mandate given to the foundation, said Treñas.