Over 700,000 flocked to Dinagyang festival, says tourism officer

Iloilo’s Dinagyang Festival drew hundreds of thousands of spectators on Sunday and was lauded as a model for public-private partnership that has developed global standards of excellence.Officials of the International Solidarity of Asia, a good governance institute, said the annual festival has remained successful because of the strong partnership and cooperation among Ilonggos.

“This is an excellent example of what public-private partnership means. There’s a remarkable shift in the level of excellence (of the performances) through the years,” Francisco Eizmendi Jr., ISA president, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer at the sidelines of the Ati tribe competition, the highlight of the festival.The festival is organized by the Dinagyang Foundation, composed of volunteers from government agencies and offices, business groups, civic organizations and religious groups.

Held in January, the Dinagyang is among the many festivals held to profess devotion to the Child Jesus.Iloilo City tourism officer said around 700,000 spectators and guests flocked to the main streets of the city on Sunday.Around 80,000 spectators filled the four judging areas alone, said Chief Superintendent Cipriano Querol Jr., the city’s police director.

The performances of the tribes, which were notably better than previous years, drew continued applause and cheers from the audience.More visitors, including foreign ones, attended the festival compared with previous years, said Tourism regional director Edwin Trompeta.

This year’s festival was highlighted by the formal declaration of presidential sister Ma. Elena “Ballsy” Aquino-Cruz as an “adopted daughter” of Iloilo City for her support for Ilonggos through various socio-economic projects and programs.

Cruz, who was among those who watched the competition at the Iloilo Freedom Grandstand, thanked Iloilo Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog and Ilonggos and promised to help provide classroom buildings for pre-schoolers through the Aklat, Gabay, Aruga tungo sa Pag-Angat at Pag-Asa (AGAPP) Foundation Inc. The foundation is chaired by her younger sister Pinky Aquino-Abellada.

Mabilog said the organizers of the Philippine Independence Day commemoration in New York have invited representatives of the Dinagyang Ati tribes to perform in New York in June.Jesus Estanislao, ISA chair, called the Dinagyang Festival a product of the Ilonggos’ strong sense of community.“This sense of community is a foundation of progress and through citizen participation, governance is not left to the city government alone,” he told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

The festival traces its roots to 1968 when Fr. Sulpicio Enderes, with a delegation of the Cofradia de Cebu, brought a replica of the image of the Señor Sto. Niño de Cebu to Iloilo City. The image was taken to San Jose Parish Church.In 1969, the first parish feast of Sto. Niño was celebrated. The champion and runner-up in the Kalibo Ati-atihan contest performed in what is considered as the first Ati-Ati festival in Iloilo City.

In 1977, in order not to duplicate Kalibo's Ati-atihan, organizers changed “Ati-atihan” to “Dinagyang” from the Hiligaynon word “dagyang” or merry-making.The festival, which is famous for striking costumes and performances, has been elevated to the Hall of Fame as the Best Tourism Event of the Philippines by the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines.

The strong community involvement and participation have helped the festival reached “global standards” in excellence, said Estanislao.He noted that tribes were composed of participants from the city’s barangay (villages) and high school students. The city’s high schools are among the consistent top performers in the competitions.

Source = newsinfo.inquirer.net