BACOLOD City – The city government has directed Barangay Villamonte to account for the P300,000 subsidy it received for the 2026 Electric MassKara competition after its controversial float was disqualified from joining the parade.
In a demand letter signed by City Legal Officer Karol Joseph Chiu, the city ordered the barangay, through Punong Barangay Rommel P. Flores, to submit a complete liquidation report and supporting documents detailing how the public funds were utilized.
Received by the barangay on October 23, the letter set November 12 as the deadline for submission of the required documents, in accordance with the memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the city government and the barangay.
The subsidy, released on October 13, was intended to support Villamonte’s participation in the Electric MassKara, one of the highlights of Bacolod’s annual festival.
The demand followed the controversy surrounding the barangay’s entry, which was barred from the parade on October 16 after festival organizer Bacolod Gugma Foundation Inc. (BGFI) determined that the float failed to meet the competition’s requirements.
Of the seven barangays that received financial assistance and participated in the competition, only six floats were allowed to join the parade.
Under the MOA dated September 15, Villamonte is required to submit a liquidation report and fund utilization documents, including supporting records to establish that the subsidy was disbursed and spent in accordance with the agreement.
The barangay’s submitted budget proposal allocated the P300,000 subsidy for various expenses related to its Electric MassKara entry.
These included P90,000 for costumes, masks, shoes, lighting and the designer’s labor; P80,000 for the float’s conceptual design and lighting; and P40,000 for the choreographer’s talent fee.
The proposal also earmarked P20,000 for 10 dancers, P40,000 for the working committee, P15,000 for drum beaters, P5,000 for a vehicle and fuel, and P10,000 for 30 T-shirts.
The proposed expenses totaled P300,000, equivalent to the city government’s financial assistance.
The liquidation process is expected to determine whether the funds were used in accordance with the approved budget and the terms of the agreement.
The demand for liquidation does not, by itself, establish any misuse of public funds. The barangay’s actual expenditures and supporting documents must still be reviewed to verify the proper utilization of the subsidy.
The submission will provide the city government with the necessary records to account for the public funds released for the competition, despite the exclusion of Villamonte’s float from the parade./PN
