Haladaya Festival: Halad Kang Datu Daya

CEBU, Philippines - The staging of the 5th Haladaya Festival of the municipality of Daanbantayan this year is very memorable for the municipality’s young mayor, Sun Shimura. Aside from the municipality’s winning of the Pasigarbo sa Sugbo’s Festival Queen competition, this year’s Haladaya Festival, which started yesterday and will culminate with a street dancing competition today, is now known internationally, thanks to the efforts of the municipal government to promote the festival and for putting up a website (www.daan bantayan. gov.ph) to reach out to more people.

“We really exerted efforts to promote the festival so that it will be known internationally,” said the dynamic Mayor Sun Shimura, who is one of the youngest mayors in the country at 26 years old.

The Haladaya Festival, Mayor Sun said, was taken from Daanbantayan’s old name, Kandaya, which was taken from the name of the area’s local chieftain, Datu Daya. The datu was said to be the protector of the locals from foreign invaders and Moros. “Haladaya is our halad kang Datu Daya,” he said.

Over 30 contingents, mostly coming from the different schools and barangays in the municipality, will compete in the street dancing today, with their colorful, Moro-inspired costumes that depict the livelihood of the municipality, which is fishing and farming. The mayor also explained that the dances of the Haladaya are inspired by the wars that took place in the area during Datu Daya’s time.