Maybe unknown to City Mayor John Geesnell “Baba Yap, his charm offensive to win the hearts and minds of the city council’s opposition sector is gaining grounds. For how else explained the fact that his fiesta brainchild, the so-called “Saulog Tagbilaran,” has earned plaudits from the opposition of the Sangguniang Panlungsod led no less by their stalwart Kagawad Oscar Glovasa. To galvanize Glovasa’s amazement to the pomp and pageantry of Saulog, he authored a resolution congratulating Mayor Yap and all the men and women behind the fiesta project for the success of the festival.

In sum, Glovasa’s congratulatory greeting of Saulog Tagbilaran 2014 was a manifestation that the SP through the leadership of City Vice-Mayor Jose Antonio “Toto” Veloso recognized the efforts of City Mayor Yap in the recently concluded fiesta celebration. The month-long activity, which included cultural and sporting events such as the Street Dancing Parade, Humba Cooking Contest, Inter-Barangay Basketball and Volleyball Open, Visual Arts Exhibit, and the star-studded Mutya sa Tagbilaran 2014, to name a few, drew thousands of Tagbilaranons which filled the Bohol Wisdom School Gymnasium and CPG Complex to the hilt.

Even Governor Edgar Chatto himself confessed during his keynote message in the Grand Street Dancing Competition that, “I have to confess with all honesty, sa tanang tuig na milabay mao ni ang kinabibohan na fiesta sa dakbayan sa Tagbilaran. I congratulate the city leadership.” Thus last Friday’s session, amid the inquiry that City Councilor Alexander “Aleckoy” Lim raised concerning the legality and expenses of the celebration, Glovasa said it was not their job to figure those things out but the Commission on Audit is the best entity to tackle those financial complexities. Instead Glovasa recommended passing a resolution congratulating City Mayor John Geesnell “Baba” Yap and all other personalities responsible in the success of the Saulog Festival.” The motion was seconded en masse.

TOURISM PROMOTION

Saulog Tagbilaran 2014 was born out from a sincere desire to revitalize the cultural consciousness of the Tagbilaranons. City Mayor Yap, the over-all chairman of the event, was optimistic that events like this would certainly revive the tourism spark of the city and would establish the city’s rightful place in the tourism map of the province. Public funds were used accordingly. City Budget Officer Rose Palma said that the funds are allowable expenses if the motive was to reinforce culture and the arts and to promote tourism, since it could eventually redound to tax revenues and vibrant economic activity. SP Committee Chair on Culture, Education and Heraldry Bebiano “Beben” Inting said that one of the major purposes of the celebration was to promote tourism and invite future investors. Inting said that even Sinulog did not become sensational overnight; it took ten years before it became a byword. The councilor noted that the victory of Saulog Tagbilaran was rooted in the city government’s well-organized public-private partnerships (PPP). Mayor Yap, sitting as the over-all chairman of the event, was able to mobilize well-meaning business entities to take part in the celebration. In fact, the city government spent less than 20 percent for the festival, and the rest were from sponsors who believed in the advocacy of Saulog Tagbilaran.