(GANDARA IKAW AN UNA FACEBOOK)
TACLOBAN CITY – The Municipality of Gandara emerged as the grand champion of the 2026 Tandaya Festival King and Queen Costume Competition, besting six other local government units in a colorful showcase of Samar’s culture, creativity, and festival traditions.
Gandara also captured the Best Male Design (Costume) and Best Female Model awards during the runway presentation and awarding ceremony held Thursday at the Samar Convention Center, which concluded the four-day exhibition of festival costumes.
Festival King Sherwin Kian Martin and Festival Queen Mary Faith Libres led Gandara’s winning performance, securing the top prize in the province-wide competition.
The Municipality of Matuguinao was named first runner-up through the “Makarato – Mardi Gras Costume” presentation of representatives John Robert Smith and Rechelle Monton.
Seven local government units participated in this year’s competition, namely Basey, Calbiga, Gandara, Jiabong, Marabut, Matuguinao, and Catbalogan City.
The competition began with a grand exhibition at the Samar Convention Center on Aug. 3, where the public viewed the festival costume entries until Aug. 5 before the live runway presentation and final judging on Aug. 6.
The exhibition was formally opened through a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by Provincial Administrator Fe Tan Arcales and Provincial Tourism Officer Marvin Piczon, together with the panel of judges and tourism officers from participating local government units.
In his welcome message, Piczon emphasized the importance of preserving the unique identity of every municipality through its festival costume.
“Usa nga importante nga aspeto nga diri naton hingangalimtan kinahanglan nga diri nabulag an identity han usa nga festival ha usa nga lugar,” he said, stressing that every costume should reflect the history, traditions, and cultural identity of the community it represents.
The competition was organized by the Samar Provincial Government through the Samar Provincial Tourism, Culture and the Arts Office (SPTCAO) as one of the highlights of the 2026 Tandaya Festival.
Provincial tourism officials said the event aims to promote Samar’s rich cultural heritage while showcasing the creativity of local designers, artisans, and performers.
This year’s costume competition also served as the province’s major cultural showcase in lieu of the traditional street dancing and ritual competition during the Samar Day celebration, allowing participating local government units to present the uniqueness of their festivals through elaborate costume designs and artistic performances.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
