The lure of the land of lanzones

The Camiguinons had a lot to thank for during the holding of this year's Lanzones Festival, not only for the success of the various events in the week-long festivities, but more so for the things Camiguin has been blessed with.

The festival's highlights-the street dancing and the tableau of local culture-saw the participants' ability to project the folklore of the Lanzones. The mythical tale of a 'diwata' or goddess, who brought cure to the ailing natives by letting them eat the Lanzones fruit, was depicted in songs and dances.

The street dancing contingents were in their best form. Last year, Camiguin bested the best of the best in the world-renowned Sinulog Festival in Cebu. Year after year, in the twenty years that the Lanzones Festival has been celebrated, the island's dancers have already honed their ability in dancing with grace and gusto to the beating of the drums. The skillful participants expressed in their movements the spirit of the festival as flawlessly as a set of lyrics basking in the flow of a beautiful melody.

Added to the attraction was the contest among the street dancing's lead lady dancers, which brought to the fore real individual talents far better than that of the usual beauty pageants during festivals. This year's street dancing and tableau winners will once again represent the province in the Sinulog Festival in January 2007.

Governor Pedro Romualdo, in most of his messages in several occasions during the fest, underscored the uniqueness of the province compared to the other islands in the country.

He said that Camiguin's success in holding a festival and what really keeps the tourists visiting is the peace and tranquility prevailing in the island.

He said that even if some of the island's tourist attractions are only rated second to other tourist destinations in the country, what the province is also proud of is its people, whose warmth in welcoming and attending to visitors is the plus factor that tourists experience and make them look forward to returning to Camiguin, especially during the Lanzones Festival.

"Although our waterfalls are not as breathtaking as that of other places, our beaches are not as vast and white like in other shores, and our ardent spring is not as hot as other hot springs, we have a people who are truly friendly, hospitable and warm. Enough reason for local and foreign tourists to come back to Camiguin and once again experience the culture of her people, whose traits are not found in other tourist destinations in the country."

Romualdo said that, while the Filipino culture has already been eroded due to the ill effects of modern times-consumerism, changing lifestyles, and the 'me-first' attitude-the people in his island have remained hospitable. "Not because of the potential income from tourists, but rather they want to keep the culture that the island is known for. And the reawakening of such Filipino culture would start from Camiguin," Romualdo added.

The province, which has elevated its class standing from a fifth to fourth class province, owes its progress from the unity prevailing among Camiguinons whose heightened consciousness of their tourism industry has inspired them to fully cooperate in the development of their province.

Another plus factor is Camiguin's unique aura, cool and calming that embraces anyone the moment he steps on the island. For that alone, any visitor would keep going back for more.

"It is always with pride that we welcome visitors to our island for the Lanzones Festival simply because we know that we have a lot to offer and Camiguin has many tourist attractions which are not found in other islands of the archipelago," Romualdo said.

Gov. Romualdo said that his province almost defies description owing to the many adjectives she is referred to by tourists who have tasted not only the lanzones but also the very calming and therapeutic aura of the island. "In short, Camiguin is best experienced than described as one gets enchanted by her mystical charm," added the governor.

The Lanzones Festival first started in 1980 and since then it has become one of the tourist attractions of the province of more volcanoes than towns. The holding of the festival has added to the island's tourist arrivals of not less than 200,000 annually, thus, making Camiguin one of the top ten destinations in the country.

Catalino E. Chan III, regional director of the Department of Tourism in northern Mindanao, himself a Camiguinon and one of the architects of the island's festivals, vividly remembers how the Lanzones Festival progressed from the 1980s to what it is now-one of the country's must-see celebrations.