Tribu Hamili to be allowed to perform but...
The Iloilo Dinagyang Foundation Inc. (IDFI) will allow Tribu Hamili to participate in the Ati tribes competition this Sunday provided “they shall be the last performer.”
This condition was set by the foundation following reports that the tribe is unprepared for the competition due to lack of sponsors.
Earlier, Hamili's tribe manager Francis Segovia was reported to have announced that they would withdraw from the competition. But as of yesterday Segovia denied that they are backing out and he insisted that would perform no matter what.
A source said the condition was set by Dr. Jaime Manila, IDFI’s chair of the committee on tribes as he believes the tribe has not committed major violations that would warrant its disqualification.
The foundation, reportedly, also stood firm on its decision that they will not provide the tribe an additional P50,000 financial assistance.
Segovia issued a statement Tuesday night in several radio interviews that they would back out from the contest. He also informed Dr. Manila of his plan.
However, yesterday morning Segovia again asked Dr. Manila of his intention to participate in the contest. As such, condition was drafted in order not to put the festival in bad light. Segovia has been very vocal of his discontentment on the foundation’s policy on tribes.
The condition set by the foundation is only applicable to Tribu Hamili and not for Tribu Himala. It was learned Himala’s tribe manager Danilo Drilon likewise issued several statements in media interviews of his plan in withdrawing in the contest. He has yet to formally send word to the foundation of his plan.
The tribe managers of the Tribu Hamili and Tribu Himala have been complaining of the inadequate budget in maintaining a competing tribe. With nearly three days before the final competition, they are asking for a financial assistance of P50,000 from the foundation.
They are lobbying before Mayor Jerry Treñas for additional financial support. The mayor has already lobbied before the foundation for the release of P25,000 each for four tribes that have no subsidy from the foundation.
The tribes that landed on the 16th to 20th place in the previous competition are not entitled to receive subsidy from the foundation based on the rules and regulations of the foundation. Yet, the four tribes were given P25,000 financial assistance.
The P25,000 financial support provided to the four tribes, namely, Himala, Hamili, Bantu and Angola is an excess amount from the P250,000 additional subsidy which is intended for the tribes that ranked 11th to 15th places.
The P250,000 additional subsidy for the tribes that belonged to 11th and 15th place was proposed by Randy Carado, tribe manager of Tribu Aninipay.
Of the tribes that ranked in the 11th to 15th places only three qualified tribes are left. They are the Tribu Molave, Tribu Aninipay and Milagrosa. Thus, the remaining P100,000 was divided among the four tribes that have no subsidy.
On the other hand, tribe managers of Tribu Bantu and Tribu Angola assured the foundation of their participation in the competition.