By MERLINDA A. PEDROSA

Bacolod City Mayor Greg Gasataya has urged the Sangguniang Panlungsod to review the Bacolod Traffic and Transport Management Department’s (BTTMD) proposed hike in permit fees for fun runs.

This came after BTTMD officer-in-charge Rheuben Sabig recommended an increase in fun run permit fees, noting that the number of running events organized by various groups has significantly increased in recent years.

“The fees should be acceptable to both the city and the organizers. We don’t want the fees to discourage organizers from holding fun runs here. They should be fair to both parties,” Gasataya said.

He said the proposed P100,000 fee for fun runs exceeding 42 kilometers appears too high, considering that only a limited number of runners participate in such events.

“Probably, they can consider the number of participants rather than just the race distance. The fees should be reasonable and fair to everyone so we can continue hosting these activities and attract more competition to the city,” he added.

The mayor also said that whatever fees organizers pay to the city will be used to support the services and operations necessary for staging these events.

Fun run organizers pay only P100 to secure a permit.

Earlier, BTTMD proposed the following permit fees based on distance:

* minimum permit fee: P10,000

* P20,000 for races of up to 10 kilometers

* P50,000 for 10 to 21 kilometers

* P75,000 for 21 to 42 kilometers

* P100,000 for races exceeding 42 kilometers

In its letter, the BTTMD cited Cebu City as an example, noting that it has a proposed ordinance setting permit fees for running events ranging from P20,000 to P100,000.

The department acknowledged that fun runs promote health, wellness, tourism, and community participation. However, it emphasized that these events require extensive traffic management operations to ensure the safety of runners, motorists and the public./MAP, WDJ