ILOILO CITY -- A series of activities that will serve as a prelude to the highlights of the 25th Manggahan Festival will kick off this coming Monday, said Guimaras’ provincial tourism office.
A grand caravan passing through the five towns of the province on the morning of April 2 would be the “pamukaw” that will announce the coming of the festival season, Liberty Ferrer, Guimaras tourism officer, said Wednesday.
On Monday afternoon, the “Patilaw sa Manggahan” will come to Robinson’s Place in Iloilo City to give Ilonggos a taste of what the festival is all about. Activities have been prepared to entice shoppers to participate – among them the agri-trade fair that would feature Guimaras products led by its mangoes; a fashion show of the “Mutya ng Manggahan”; street dance elimination round; mango eat-all-you-can; and mango chandelier-making.
The “Manggahan sa Kabanwahanan”, a showcase of the various cultures of the towns of Guimaras will kick off on April 7-8 in Sibunag town; April 14-15 in San Lorenzo; April 21-22, Nueva Valencia; April 28-29, Buenavista; and May 5-6, Jordan.
Close to 1,000 participants will gather in the province for the National Mango Congress on May 7-9.
However, the highlight of the festival will be on May 21-22 when the towns face one another in a cultural competition.
The highlight will also mark the founding anniversary of the province, which used to be a sub-province of Iloilo.
This year’s festival is anchored on the theme “Bugana: Celebrating the Silver Glory of Manggahan Festival”. (PNA)
Iloilo Bureau file photo
