• CHERYL G. CRUZ
The Sangguniang Panlungsod ratified July 30 the memorandum of agreement which tapped the Bacolod Gugma Foundation Inc. as organizer of the world-renowned MassKara Festival celebration this October.
Mayor Greg Gasataya and Rodney Mitz Ascalon, foundation president and festival director, signed the MOA following an authorization from the SP during its session yesterday. The agreement was then ratified as an addendum.
The MOA is for the conduct of the MassKara Festival from Oct. 1-26 and include event screening procedures, promotions, and advertisements in the lead-up to the festivity.
The foundation, in a press release, clarified that the official MassKara schedule is from Oct. 1-19, with the highlight weekend on Oct. 17, 18, and 19. “After the Highlight Weekend, there will be no scheduled activities from Oct. 20-25. The celebration will officially conclude with a first-of-its-kind grand after-party on Oct. 26, featuring live entertainment, DJs, performances, and a festive community atmosphere.”
This will be the first time that MassKara’s highlight activities will be held on the third weekend of October, following an amendment to City Ordinance 09-17-820, which initially set the fourth Sunday of October as permanent schedule of the festival highlights, including the street and arena dance competition, and closing ceremonies.
But in the amendatory ordinance passed under suspended rules by the SP on April 2 this year, it states that “the fourth Sunday of October has been annually marked with rain and weather disruptions, impacting the overall experience of the festival highlights.”
“The change in schedule to the third weekend of October aims to ensure more stable weather conditions for the safety and comfort of festival goers and visitors, as well as the successful performance of the Masskara Festival highlights and activities,” Councilor Em Ang, who authored the amendatory ordinance, had said.
The foundation also said the earlier festival dates would “address the long-standing concerns from vendors and small entrepreneurs, who have faced challenges due to unpredictable weather during the latter part of October”.
“This shift not only improves the festival experience for locals and tourists, but also supports vendors and community entrepreneurs, who rely on MassKara for their livelihood,” the foundation added in a press release.
The foundation, meanwhile, said it accepts the challenge of Gasataya and the SP to be more prudent in managing festival resources and to ensure that MassKara is felt meaningfully at the grassroots level, especially by those in the barangays and underserved communities.
Under the MOA, the city shall review and approve the activities, including the festival plan and budget proposed by the foundation. “The city may modify the proposed activities and budget, taking into consideration the theme and needs of the city.”
The foundation shall, among others, obtain and take charge of sponsor participation, take charge of the rental fees to be collected from festival vendors on approved areas/sites as well as the ticket sales on any event, account for the revenues it receives, and submit liquidation and fund utilization reports, including all necessary documents in support of the disbursement and/or expenditures of funds provided not later than 60 days after the end of the festival.
The source of funds shall be taken from sponsors that the foundation may obtain. “The city may augment such funding…with its own funds, subject to applicable provisions of law”, the MOA said.
Any revenue generated, including from pre-festival activities of the foundation, should be accounted for, with 60 percent of the net profits, after deduction of any fees and taxes, shall go to Gugma, with the remaining revenue going to the city, the MOA added. | CGC
