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CEBU CITY, Philippines - Despite some minor hitches, the Sinulog 2009 celebration was a success, according to Ricky Ballesteros, Sinulog Foundation Inc. (SFI) executive director.
Ballesteros said problems such as the erroneous awarding of the Ms Cebu Globe Texters' Choice Award would serve as a lesson for the SFI to be careful even with the smallest detail.
“There is no perfect organization. There would always be hitches or lapses but these controversies should serve as lessons learned for all of us so that it would not happen next year,” he said.
The SFI is conducting an accounting of the expenses spent for the festivities, Ballesteros said. This is expected to be completed by March 31.
The accounting will then be checked by independent auditors who are expected to submit a report by May 31.
The SFI will then submit an audited financial report of the P13 million collected through sponsorships to the Securities and Exchange Commission. They are given until July 30 to do so.
Ballesteros said SFI made sure not to spend beyond the budget.
“We did not spend beyond our means, that’s for sure,” he said.
Next year, the Sinulog will celebrate its Pearl anniversary or 30th year.
Ballesteros said that during the celebration, individuals who contribute to the success of the SFI will be honored.
The SFI also plans to add more competitions next year to make the festivities more fun and give it more life.
The SFI plans to hold a choral group competition among schools or by Local Government Units.
It also plans to strengthen its fund raising campaigns and will concentrate on making their sponsorship package more attractive to sponsors.
Ballesteros said that although the sponsors have continued to support them over the years, there were no new sponsors for this year, probably due to the financial crisis.
He said the committee plans to start on the usual workshops on choreography, musicality, short films and other aspects related to the Sinulog contests categories.
