BAGUIO CITY – The City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO) has given the Manila-based operator of the Burnham carnival rides a maximum of two weeks to dismantle the installed kiddie rides in a portion of the children’s playground before it will impose the necessary storage charges against him. CEPMO Department Head Cordelia Lacsamana informed local legislators that the 3-month period granted by the local government for the Manila-based amusement operator lapsed this month that is why her office did not accede to the desire of the operator to appeal for extension considering that it is without the consent of the city.
She admitted that the operator tried to lobby with her office for the possible extension of the carnival rides but she claimed that such authority is lodged with the local legislative body until he decided to start removing the generator sets supplying power to the rides, thus, there are no longer available rides in the area.
However, Lacsamana claimed that the operator has requested the CEPMO that he be given until July 15, 2018 to totally dismantle the installed amusement rides but she claimed that the timetable was too long, thus, the CEPMO will be sending another notice to the operator for him to remove the rides the soonest or within a 2-week period.
“We will still conduct a thorough assessment on the damages caused by the operation of the amusement rides in a portion of the children’s playground so that we could already bill the operator on the amount due for the local government that he is obligated to pay pursuant to the agreement that he will be responsible for whatever damage caused by the carnival rides to the park,” Lacsamana stressed.
The CEPMO official disclosed that the carnival operator posted some P50,000 as bond form the operation of the carnival rides aside from the P500,000 lease rental that he deposited to the trust fund for Burnham Park that served as his rental for his 3-month operation.
Initially, she stated that she is not satisfied with the partial paving works done by the amusement ride operator on some damaged pavement sections of the area where the rides were installed that is why the matter will be brought to the attention of the operator for proper action.
Earlier, the local legislative body granted the authority to the amusement rides operator to put up a carnival in a portion of the children’s playground for 3 months and is mandated to pay to the local government the amount of P500,000 as lease rental for the said period of operation.
The operator attempted to seek a possible extension of the operation of the amusement rides using as a reason the continuous afternoon rains during the summer months that disrupted his potentials of gaining from the said carnival apart from his alleged delayed start of operation.
Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan announced his objection to the proposed extension of the operation of the amusement rides because classes have already started and that the rainy season also entered the country that is why it will be impossible for the operator to sustain the conduct of the kiddie rides in the park with the prevailing bad weather condition in the city.
The local legislative body decided not to act on the operator’s request for possible extension of the operation of the amusement rides after the local chief executive announced his objection to the proposal.
By Dexter A. See
