CEBU, Philippines - Last January 12, the City of Mandaue staged a reenactment of the Traslacion, the yearly religious tradition of the province of Cebu, wherein the images of Señor Sto. Niño and Our Lady of Guadalupe are brought to the National Shrine of St. Joseph to unite the Holy Family before they are sent for the Fluvial Procession the day before the Sinulog Festival.
This is the third year that the city has staged this reenactment. The activity has been very successful that the Taga Mandaue Incorporated, a non-government organization, whose members and their families' roots are from Mandaue, spearheaded the creation of the Panagtagbo Festival.
The launching of the Panagtagbo Festival included a parade of the images of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the holy child, Señor Sto. Niño and St. Joseph starting from the different barangays, to converge at the Plaza, in front of the National Shrine of St. Joseph. The students from the Mandaue School for the Arts performed, for the first time, the official Panagtagbo Festival Dance, with the music composed by a renowned Cebuano composer Elvis Somosot.
In January 13, Friday, the Panagtagbo Festival Dance was again performed by the students of the Mandaue School for the Arts at Parkmall, to introduce to the shoppers and the customers the newly launched festival that is unique to the Mandaue City. Parkmall shows its support to the City of Mandaue and its activities. Parkmall is also the venue for the exhibit of the images of St. Joseph, to highlight his life and the different interpretations of man to the role of St. Joseph in the life of Jesus Christ and to the Catholic Church.
The Panagtagbo Festival will eventually go towards the direction of creating a contest where the different barangays in Mandaue can participate and express through dance and motion their own interpretation of the Festival, which depicts the Traslacion in Mandaue City.