Now on its 3rd year

ORMOC CITY- Mayor Richard Gomez of this city is inviting the public again to visit Ormoc for this year’s Piña Festival as he vowed that it would be ‘better, bigger, and brighter” compare to the previous years of its staging.
“There are a lot of people working together for our fiesta. Everyone involved wants the celebration to be more exciting,” said Gomez who is now on his second term after winning in the May 13 elections.
“The Piña Festival also seeks to promote, not only Ormoc’s very own sweet queen pineapple but also its people’s strong personality that overcomes challenges and obstacles they face, from personal problems to calamities and disasters,” he added.
The city government has earmarked P22 million for the city fiesta celebration with other funds to be augmented by private sponsors.
According to the mayor, the month-long festivity is expected to draw over a million visitors while ensuring to keep the economic activities alive in the city
Dr. Gregorio Yrastorza III, city councilor and committee executive-co-chairman, urged the visitors to get ready for the “exciting days” as they will be rolling out the various month-long activities for the 422nd fiesta celebration in honor of its patrons, Saints Peter and Paul on June 29.

Rotary groups like the Rotary Club of Ormoc Bay through its president Apple Anido Alagon will also lead in different socio-civic activities during the celebration.
One of the major fiesta events will be the Parade of Lights on the evening of June 15.
The parade, with its theme “Storyland”, will feature luminescent vehicular floats and lighted costumes that will pass through the city’s major thoroughfares.
Parade of Lights was also among the crowd-favorites in last year’s fiesta events.
“Now in its third year, the Piña Festival street dance and ritual showdown is one of the highlights on the entire celebration which will be held on June 23,” said the Piña Festival chairwoman Estrella Maria Pangilinan.
About 10 schools will compete during the event with a grand prize of P500,000.
Also, there will be 20 candidates who will vie for this year’s Search for Miss Ormoc scheduled on June 28 at the Ormoc Superdome.
The crowned queen will have the chance to represent the city in the Miss World Philippines pageant in Manila, added Nelson Alindogan, chairman of the Miss Ormoc 2019.
Aside from being an advocate on environmental protection and local tourism, the title holder will also receive P100,000 as the grand prize.
Rey Evangelista, the sports committee chairman, said that tournaments will be played starting June 1.
These include volleyball (June 1-2), basketball (June 3-6), triathlon (June 9, open to all players around the country), boxing (June 14-16), table tennis (June 9), soccer (June 15-16), law tennis (June 15-16), chess (June 15-16), laser run (June 16), dance sports (June 16), airsoft (June 16), trail bike (June 30), swimming (June 22-23), and badminton (June 22-23).
From June 1-30, the fiesta food bazaar coupled with nightly entertainment will open at the city’s downtown area, targeting 3,000 diners per night. The fiesta culminating concert on June 29 will have the Pinoy rock star Bamboo to entertain the expected crowd of 20,000 at the city public plaza.
Other sectoral fiesta celebrations include religious night (June 9), barangay day (June 12), government employees’ night (June 14), market vendors night (June 17), socio-civic organizations night (June 18), business night (June 19), and educators night (June 21).(RONALD O. REYES)

TACLOBAN CITY-Preparations are underway for the month-long Sangyaw Festivities which is due to start this coming Saturday, June 1, 2019, with a motorcade that will pass through the city’s main thoroughfares at around 4 pm.
At least 40 vehicles will join the convoy that will signal the formal opening of the annual celebration in honor of Senor Sto. Niño.
The Grand Opening Program at the Sangyawan Grounds (Balyu-an Grounds) will follow shortly at 6 pm with the concert of popular Rock Band Razorback.
Several programs of activities are being prepared for the festival by the city government of Tacloban through the leadership of Mayor Cristina G. Romualdez in partnership with the different religious and civic sectors in Tacloban.
Among the main events of this year’s festivities themed “Happiest Fiesta” is the Sangyaw Parade of Lights on June 29.
The Parade of Lights features creatively decorated and brightly lighted floats and dance contingents performing ritual dance routines.
Other highlights are the Miss Tacloban Coronation Night on June 22, the Sangyaw Foundation Ball and Balik Tacloban Night on June 26, among others.
Nightly performances at the Sangyawan Music Festival featuring local and Manila-based bands, along with a number of Variety Shows will be starting at 6 pm on June 1.
Cultural shows and a fiesta fair will also be held at Plaza Rizal starting June 14 to June 27. The Sangyawan Han Isla Sinirangan, an Art Show and Festival Costume Competition will be staged on June 22-28.
Among the international, national and regional sports events in this year’s Sangyaw Festival are the 1st Sangyaw Table Tennis National Tournament (June 8-9), 3rd Mayor Cristina National Sepak Takraw (June 20-23), 7th Mr. Sangyaw Tacloban 2019 National Body Building Competition (June 27), Mayor Cristina Regional Open Chess Tournament (June 15-16), the International Jet ski Competition (June 13-15), and 11th Cancabato Sports Competition (June 21).
Religious activities for the 130th Tacloban Fiesta include the pre-Balyuan Rites on June 18 and Balyuan Rites on June 20, and the traditional fluvial and land processions, and Pontifical Mass on Fiesta Day, June 30.
The Sangyaw Festival is the official Festival of the Highly Urbanized City of Tacloban revived by former Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez in 2008.
“Sangyaw” is the local dialect term meaning “to Announce or Herald”. (HENRY JAMES ROCA/CIO)

Amidst their anti-drug war campaign

PALO, Leyte- Marie Pathyma Ilanan, 13, said she loves to attend in the Catholic traditional “Flores de Mayo (Flowers of May)” inside the police regional camp based in Palo, Leyte.
“Since I was small, I joined this this kind of activity. I feel safer here,” said Ilanan who also brought with her siblings in the camp’s chapel on Thursday (May 30).
“I like it here because they also have a nice playground. I learned a lot about religion and children’s rights during the ‘Flores de Mayo,’” added Beitina Therese Maceda, 11, who joined the 250 other children in the religious activity.
“I want to be closer to Mama Mary, and I am enlightened here through their bible class,” said Maceda who has been joining the activity for three years already.
“We want these kids become God-loving, responsible beings, and disciplined. Aside from teaching them how to pray, we also provide lessons on rights awareness and health issues,” said Lieutenant Colonel Ma. Bella Rentuaya, the police regional spokesperson.
Police patrolwoman Florlyn Gapul, who is assisting the children inside the chapel, said the holding of Flores de Mayo inside the camp “is not something new.”
The Santacruzan, a novena procession culminating the Flores de Mayo, is participated by selected beautiful young ladies and children wearing extravagant costumes, bedecked with accessories and escorted by well- chosen fine young men in every neighborhood.
The center of attraction during the Santacruzan are those that will act the role of Reyna Elena, in honor of St. Helena, and Constantine, usually a young man clutching a crucifix to symbolize the finding of the “True Cross in Jerusalem.”
Flores de Mayo in the Philippines, with its long Catholic tradition of devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, said to start in 1854 after the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.
“Most of the police are Catholics. We really observe tradition, Catholic rites,” she said.
While Gapul admitted that she noticed the apparent “gap” on the perception of the public to the police amid the brutal drug war campaign of President Rodrigo Duterte, she however said that they are doing the Catholic tradition for children every month of May “to bridge the gap.”
Gapul she said that the holding of Flores de Mayo brings out the “soft side” of the police.
“We are also human, we have hearts. Even though we are in the authority, we also believed that Jesus Christ is the real authority. We are led by God. In my case, I feel I cannot really do what other rogue police were doing because I am guided by God,” said Gapul.
Michelle (name withheld to protect her identity), a mother, said she is also sending her children inside the camp to attend the religious activity despite that her husband was caught and imprisoned due to alleged drug activity for two years now.
“I am happy that they are holding Flores de Mayo at the same time, sponsoring snacks to the children. Good thing that they are giving free snacks because I cannot give at all times for my children,” said the 35-year-old mother who is now working alone as dressmaker to support their four children.
“I looked at policemen as good people,” said Michelle.
“The case of my husband is still in the court now,” she said.
The administration of President Rodrigo Duterte is waging a controversial and brutal war against illegal drugs which drew strong condemnation from the Church and human rights groups, both here and abroad.
While the police vowed to continue their Catholic tradition for children, Duterte also pledged that his drug war will persist until he will step outside Malacañang in 2022.
“It will be as relentless and chilling as on the day it began,” said the firebrand president during his State of the Nation Address in July 2018.
(RONALD O. REYES)