10th Cordova Dinagat Festival launched

CEBU, Philippines - The Municipality of Cordova launched last July 24 the different activities that have been lined up for the 10th Cordova Dinagat Festival, which will be held on August 9. The theme for this year’s celebration is “Revisiting our Heritage, Invigorating and Fortifying our Future.”

Mayor Adelino Sitoy, Vice Mayor Rodrigo Jumao-as, members of the town council and Tina Sitoy, chairperson of the Cordova Dinagat Festival 2009, spearheaded the launch held at the Alta Village Garden Resort in Pilipog, Cordova, which was attended by the media, and the different stakeholders of the festival.

Tina Sitoy, wife of former mayor Arleigh Sitoy, shared that the celebration started out as a project for the Jaycees where her husband was the president. Being the first lady, she was tasked to create a cultural event and she thought of starting a festival for Cordova. She said the funding for the first celebration was only P150,000 but Cordovahanons enjoyed it.

Now on its 10th year, Mrs. Sitoy is proud of her “baby” saying “This festival is about Cordova and all about people nga lumad nga taga Cordova.”

Among the highlights of the 10th Cordova Dinagat Festival are the holding of the Sayaw sa Dalan, a street dancing contest, Pasundayag, a dance drama showdown, and the Cordova Dinagat Festival Queen, to celebrate Cordova’s fairest. Mrs. Sitoy proudly announced that the contestants in the Cordova Dinagat Festival Queen are really from Cordova and are representing the different barangays.

A total of 14 contingents from different elementary and high schools in the municipality will compete for the top prize in the different contests during the festival such as the street dancing, dance drama and the Festival Queen. Rudy U. Aviles, the creative director for the festival, said the steps used in the street dancing contest are original and are based on the primary livelihood of Cordovahanons, which is fishing.

The Cordova Dinagat Festival is in celebration of the fiesta of Sr. San Roque, the patron saint of the municipality.