Disgruntled tribes plan to sabotage the Dinagyang Festival 2008
Posted on January 16, 2008
News article liefted from Panay News
DON’T RUIN DINAGYANG Festival saboteurs face lifetime ban – Treñas
ILOILO City – Groups sabotaging the Dinagyang Festival will be forever barred from participating, warned Mayor Jerry Treñas. He issued the warning amid reports that tribes not getting subsidy will be embarrassing the city government during the festival highlight on January 27.
“I will not allow it to happen. (The) Dinagyang (Foundation) came up with rules that they should (follow),†said the city’s chief executive.
Based on the rules of the Iloilo Dinagyang Foundation Inc. (IDFI), only the top 15 tribes in last year’s competition will be given subsidy.
The top 10 tribes will each receive P220,000 while the 11th to 15th tribe will each get P165,000.
IDFI executive chair Ben Jimena said four tribes in this year’s Dinagyang Festival could face expulsion if they push through with their plan to make a scene on the day of the competition.
The four tribes are reportedly protesting the policy of the foundation over the release of subsidy.
Treñas said the festival this year is on a tight budget. He appealed for everybody’s cooperation.
“The situation now is very tight. Everybody should cooperate. We should get more sponsors instead of fighting,†he stressed.
According to reports, the tribes will make a scene at the Iloilo Freedom Grandstand, Judging Area No.1 of the festival and where most of the dignitaries are accommodated. Should the tribes push through with their plan, the foundation will be constrained to effect disciplinary action against them, warned Jimena.
The disciplinary action would even mean their expulsion from Dinagyang tribes competitions. He recalled that that last year, the foundation and all the tribe managers signed a memorandum of agreement.
They conformed to obey the rules and policies of the foundation regarding the subsidy and other related issues in the tribes competition, said Jimena.
“They will forever be barred from Dinagyang,†stressed Treñas.
Jimena said they are set to talk with the tribe managers of Hamili, Himala, Bantu and Angola over the information the foundation received.
The tribe managers could not be reached for comment as of press time.
Jimena said since last year they made it clear that the city government will only give subsidy to the tribes that live up to their expectations in terms of the improvement of their performances as well as costumes and props.
Besides, Jimena said, the foundation and the city government could only afford to subsidize 15 tribes. The foundation never promised to give subsidy to tribes that ranked 16 down for the past three years of competition, he said.
Those tribes which are not given subsidy are allowed to look for their sponsors. They were also given the chance to prove their worth for the last three years, said Jimena. (With a report from the Philippine News Agency)
Check the Complete Dinagyang Festival 2008 schedule here
» Filed Under Events, Festivals, News
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