CANCELED. The provincial government of Sarangani has scrapped the 2020 Sarangani Bay Festival set this May while the municipal government of Tboli in South Cotabato canceled the remaining activities of the ongoing Seslong Festival due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) scare. Photo shows the morning Zumba, one of the crowd-drawing events in the 2019 Sarbay festival, which drew around 150,000 local and foreign tourists last year. (Photo grab from the SarBay Festival official Facebook Page)
GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- Two more major festivals in Region 12 (Soccsksargen) have been canceled due to the coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19) scare.
The provincial government of Sarangani announced late Wednesday afternoon that the 2020 Sarangani Bay (SarBay) Festival will not push through this May while the municipal government of Tboli in South Cotabato has scrapped the remaining activities of the ongoing Seslong Festival as a precautionary measure.
Sarangani Governor Steve Chiongbian-Solon said the cancellation was mainly in response to issuance by President Rodrigo Duterte of Proclamation No.22, which declared a state of public health emergency in the entire country over the Covid-19 threat.
Solon said they decided to terminate the preparations for the SarBay fest, which was set in the last week of May, to protect visitors and residents from the possible spread of the disease.
Dubbed the “biggest summer beach party in the country,” SarBay fest drew around 150,000 local and foreign tourists last year.
Solon said the cancellation was backed by festival organizers led by the Provincial Tourism Council and the Sarangani Tourism and Investment and Promotion Center, he said.
“Our top priority right now is the health and security of everyone,” the governor said.
This is the second time that the provincial government has canceled the SarBay fest in the last four years.
Sarangani officials and festival organizers scrapped the 2017 edition a day before it opened due to the Marawi City siege and the declaration of martial in Mindanao.
Meantime, Tboli Mayor Dibu Tuan ordered the immediate “cessation of all mass gatherings and events” in line with the town’s 22nd Seslong Festival and 46th foundation anniversary celebration, which opened last March 5 and was scheduled to end on March 16.
Tuan ordered all government and private employees to observe proper personal hygiene and sanitation practices, and for all offices and establishments to implement precautionary measures against the spread of Covid-19.
“The closure of all tourist destinations within the municipality of Tboli is hereby extended until further notice,” he said.
Last month, the city government canceled the 2020 Kalilangan Festival while the municipal government of Glan in Sarangani withdrew its Mahin Festival due to the Covid-19 scare.
The city government of Kidapawan also postponed some of the lined-up activities in line with its charter anniversary as a precautionary measure. (PNA)
