Negros Oriental's Buglasan Festival

CEBU, Philippines - It was a special non working day in Negros Oriental on Friday, October14. No less than the President of the Philippines proclaimed it so, to make way for the celebration of the province's Buglasan Festival of Festivals. The Presidential Proclamation No. 63, signed earlier on September 19, was meant to give the local people a full day to participate in the festivities.

President Rodrigo Duterte himself visited the province that day to grace the occasion.

The Buglasan Festival is a yearly weeklong series of revelries, held in the second week of October in Dumaguete City, the provincial capital. The festival is a celebration of the province's rich history and cultural diversity. As with most festivals in the country, Buglasan Festival is also significantly religious celebration, to pay homage to the patron saints of the towns and cities in Negros Oriental.

For all intents and purposes, the Buglasan Festival is like the culmination of the smaller celebrations of the towns and cities of the province - hence it is dubbed the Festival of Festivals of Negros Oriental. The name "buglasan' comes from the word "buglas," a tall species of reeds that once covered most of the area of the entire Negros Island.

This year's festival started on a high note on Friday, October 14, with 18 contingents participating. These contingents represented most of 25 local government units of the province. A main highlight of the celebration was the Miss Negros Oriental pageant, held on the night of October 16.  At the Lamberto Macias Sports Center, 14 local beauties, each representing her town or city, vied for the title. Grace Charmaine Vendiola of Zamboanguita town was crowned Miss Negros Oriental 2016. The other winners were first runner-up Marie Faustine Sindiong of Dumaguete City, second runner-up Maydel Faburada of Sibulan, third runner-up Trexel Naces of Valencia, and fourth runner-up Michella Maria Muniz of Tanjay.

According Buglasan Festival co-director Dr. Nicole Elman, it was the order of the Provincial Governor is to bring up this year's Miss Negros Oriental competition to the level of the Binibining Pilipinas pageant. The challenge was to come up with winners to compete in national and international beauty pageants.

Festival organizers aim to make the Buglasan Festival of Festivals of Negros Oriental to be an attraction to spur livelihood activities and economic progress in the province. At the rate that this year's celebration went, this goal looks easy to achieve. The festival this year officially ends today, October 23. Titus Cerina (FREEMAN)