Free loaders, disembark please

Government subsidy to promote business is good.

On paper, this justifies the Cebu provincial government’s expenditure on the Suroy-Suroy Sugbo program.

The Commission on Audit’s review of Capitol’s Suroy-Suroy Sugbo program however is an eye opener.

While thought to be self-liquidating, the cost of holding the tourism showcase amounting to P11.45 million in 2012 over revenues of only P3.79 million shows that something is really amiss.

Sure, some changes introduced by Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale are welcome. But unless the program is overhauled along with its institutionalization with the passage of the Suroy-Suroy ordinance last year, it will continue to drain the Capitol’s precious funds.

Although the number of non-paying participants have fallen compared to last year’s Suroy-Suroy tours, the figures are still high.

According to the report prepared by the program’s coordinator Mary Grace Paulino, in last January’s Southern Getaway, the non-paying guests still outnumbere the paying guests, 70 to 67.

In the Summer Interlude in Camotes Island last April, at least majority were paying guests compared to the non-paying guests 74 to 61. But note that in this edition, many officials of the Capitol were busy with the election campaign. They thought going there would waste time they spent pressing hands of the voters in the mainland.

No one is arguing over the objective of Suroy-Suroy to promote tourism in all the Cebu towns. No one is even arguing that the tourism program of the Capitol is not designed as an income generating venture.

The issue with the COA review however is about the judicious use of government resources, of taxpayers’ money.

The incoming administration of Hilario “Junjun” Davide III should spell out in clear terms how the Suro-Suroy Sugbo will be operated. It should show concrete targets and demonstrate to the taxpayers the contribution of the program to the bottomline of tourism – more people coming and local businesses raking in more sales from tourists.

Other than showing statistics of decreasing number of free loaders, the Capitol should define in clear terms that free loaders shall be strictly limited to only the essential staff and maybe a handful of journalists and tourism industry players who are really into tourism promotion, instead of free loaders who are into it for that jump-shot over some fine sand that find its way into Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

For Suroy-Suroy to be effective, the non-essential free loaders must be off-loaded.