Two weeks after the month-long Sandugo , questions like has the yearly celebration needs a dramatic overhaul because it has lost its luster and relevance? After being grilled by the City Council over allegations that his position of being “deputy mayor” is unceremonious and illegal, the man behind the Sandugo celebration is now also under fire following a barrage of public demands that the celebration be overhauled and its management better turned over to City Hall or Capitol. The “boring” month-long celebration of Sandugo Festival have earned the disgust of the public while others are calling for a total overhaul of the way the celebration is being run. Random reports gleaned online and offline showed that most of Boholanos are no long happy the way the Sandugo Festival is being managed. “It already becomes a one-man show,” said an official of the Bohol Sandugo Foundation Inc (BSFI) who requested not to be named. “All decisions are done by Mario Uy,” said the source, referring to the long-time chairman of the Foundation. “The by-laws of the foundation are no longer followed.”

Loy Palapos, former chairman of the foundation, in an interview said that he felt the sentiments of the public who have been disappointed with the kind of Sandugo celebration Bohol has. “The Sandugo celebration that I knew before is no longer the Sandugo festival I know today,” Palapos. As chairman of the foundation during the incumbency of former city mayor Jose Torralba, Palapos said that he would consider the years of Torralba administration as the “most glorious” days of Sandugo festival. Asked whether there is need to overhaul the festival, Palapos, who is also the head of the Public Relations Department of the Alturas Group of Companies but speaking on his personal capacity, said: “I believe that is what the public wants.” In a series of discussions made by DYRD’s top-rated program Inyong Alagad and Radyo Merkado, no single caller and texter expressed approval the way the Sandugo celebration is being handled these days. One caller said the celebration no longer reflects the true spirit of Sandugo celebration and that it has deviated from the festival’s real purpose. “Alingawon laman ta ug mga artista, mao ba nay diwa ug mithi sa Sandugo celebration,” the caller said.

Another caller commented: “Tan-awa ra gyud nang street dancing nga unom ra ka contingents ang niapil, wala na gyuy lami tan-awon ang street dancing.” Meanwhile, Uy who was interviewed by Alagad earlier, said that he has been wanting to relinquish his role in the Sandugo celebration as it is taking a toll on his personal finances, alleging among others that he has to shell out his personal money to bankroll some of the activities of the celebration. Uy also dismissed allegations that he is making money out of the celebration without public accounting of the funds donated by well-meaning Boholanos and sponsorships by big businesses local and national. He added that he is ready to turn over the management of the celebration to either the province or the city when needed.