• THERESA MAE DULMAN
The Sangguniang Panlungsod of Bacolod called on Bacolod Gugma Foundation Inc. to respect the process of obtaining a special permit from the council before they start setting up for the festival.
The call follows the setup of the carnival and rides next to the Poblacion Theme Park, behind the Bacolod City Government Center (BCGC), that started even before the request for special permit was approved during yesterday’s regular session.
Both Councilor Al Victor Espino and Councilor Celia Flor expressed their disappointment, stating that it would have been better if the request for the special permit had been submitted earlier so that it could have been approved in a timely manner.
“The question there is, why did you even request it if you’ve already started. The word that we want to use is respect,” Espino said.
A request was initially sent by the organization’s Corporate Secretary Atty. Hannah Lea Tañoso, asking the council for a special permit to operate a carnival and allow ingress to facilitate the installation of rides from September 21 to 30.
The organization requested for the areas of Fr. Ferrero Street, Barangay 12, beside Wilcon Depot behind BCGC, and near the Legislative Building of the government center.
“The MassKara Festival, the cultural icon of Bacolod City today, is a fruit of a city ordinance. The SP is the one who’s making the ordinance, so, again, respect is the right word,” Espino said.
Even though the council approved the request, they deferred issuing a special permit for the carnival and festival fair on Fr. Ferrero Street, due to Flor’s concern for the vendors of the Manokan Country.
“Ferrero is a small street, and if you put a carnival there, then it is dangerous for the safety of the people and the children. I think they should look for another place,” Flor said.*
