FESTIVE. The Sangyaw Parade of Lights in this June 29, 2019 photo. All is set for the staging of Sangyaw Festival 2023, a fiesta-related event that will draw thousands of visitors here on the night of June 29, the city government said on Tuesday (June 27, 2023). (PNA photo by Roel Amazona)
TACLOBAN CITY – All is set for the staging of Sangyaw Festival 2023, a fiesta-related event that will draw thousands of visitors here on the night of June 29, the city government said on Tuesday.
The city information office announced that the parade will feature 23 groups, including the 12 official floats and dance contingents, competing and non-competing merrymakers, and city government employees.
The parade route includes Justice Romualdez, Rizal Avenue, Imelda Veteranos, Real Street, and Magsaysay Boulevard, where the winning dancers and floats will be announced at the Balyuan Amphitheater.
The city police said that as part of the security preparations on June 29, downtown area roads will be closed starting at 4 p.m.
These are Real, Independencia, Imelda Avenue, Salazar, Paterno and Burgos Streets.
The float and dance contingents are composed of Sagkahan National High School, JE Mondejar Computer College, Barangay 91 Abucay, Tacloban City National High School, Tacloban Institute of Electronics, Tacloban City Night High School, San Jose National High School, KFDMT Barangay 43-B, Barangay 85 San Jose, Tacloban Angelicum Learning Center, local government of Basey in Samar, and local government of Caibiran in Biliran.
City tourism officer Malu Tabao told reporters that each float will have its design interpreting this year’s Festival theme on the return of Santo Nino El Capitan image that took place in 1889.
“The parade is in a carousel type. Contingents will be stationed to their respective starting points in four streets. This is a fascinating festival that local and foreign tourists love to see. In fact, our hotels are already fully-booked,” Tabao added.
The city government provided a PHP150,000 subsidy for the transportation, meals, and accommodation of contingents.
Festival entries will be judged for their theme, lighting effects, performance, creativity, choreography, and musicality during the parade and performance at the Balyuan Amphitheater.
A PHP500,000 cash prize will be awarded to the champion, PHP300,000 to the 1st runner-up, and PHP200,000 to the 2nd runner-up.
For this year, the content of the festival script is a historical narrative on the loss and recovery of the Santo Nino El Capitan in 1889 based on historical and other documentary sources, as well as on the socio-religious practices of Tacloban residents.
The Leyte-Samar Heritage Society wrote the script for staging the Sangyaw Festival and educational purposes.
The Sangyaw Festival is the city’s official festival, revived in 2008 by Mayor Alfred Romualdez after Tacloban was declared a highly urbanized city.
Sangyaw is a local term, which means "to herald news." (PNA)
