LAPU-LAPU CITY, Philippines ? The Kadaugan Festival in Lapu-Lapu City will have to operate on a smaller budget as the City Hall prioritizes other projects to boost its recent status change to a highly urbanized city.
?From about P2 million in 2007, this year we will only have a budget of about P1 million or a little over P1 million,? said City Administrator Teodulo Yba?ez.
?We are very happy that (Manny ?Pacman?) Pacquiao has agreed to play the role of Lapu-Lapu for free, otherwise we would have to pay talent fees for actors,? he added.
He assured, however, that the quality of the Kadaugan Festival will not be affected by the smaller budget due to the help of sponsors.
Yba?ez said Lapu-Lapu City, now a highly urbanized city and independent of Cebu Province, now has to take on expenses that the province once took care of.
One such expense is the operation of two hospitals, the Lapu-Lapu City District Hospital in the city mainland and Santa Rosa Community Hospital on Olango Island, both of which used to be run by Capitol.
Yba?ez said running both hospitals cost P35 million annually.
The city also now has to pay for the allowances of 150 new policemen to be assigned to the new Lapu-Lapu City Police Office.
?These are fresh graduates promised by the Philippine National Police and we will be providing them allowances,? Yba?ez said.
In a visit to Cebu last week, boxing champion Pacquiao accepted the invitation of Mayor Arturo Radaza for him to play the part of 16th century Mactan Island chieftain Lapu-Lapu in the Kadaugan sa Mactan, the annual reenactment of the historic Battle of Mactan that is the highlight of the Kadaugan Festival. /Reporter Dale G. Israel
