Tacloban fiesta controversy Permit “limitation” spoils Pintados-Kasadyaan Fest

CEBU, Philippines - The Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival of Festivals pushed through yesterday ahead of the Tacloban City fiesta on June 30, while its chairperson Mayor Matin Petilla of Palo, Leyte, complained that the city government did not allow a street dancing or parade around the city.

Organizers of Pintados-Kasadyaan requested for a parade of its participating contingents around the major streets in the city, but the city government granted their requested time, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., but allowed them to hold their street dancing or parade only in one lane of Burgos Street.

This forced the Pintados-Kasadyaan to forego with the street dancing and have it instead inside the grandstand grounds of the Leyte Sports Center where the contingents will also perform one after the other. 

The seven contingents that joined Pintados-Kasadyaan were: Masskara Festival of Bacolod City; Tribu Basakanon of Sinulog Festival in Cebu; Dinagyang Festival of Iloilo; Mayawmayaw Festival of Pinabacdao in Samar; Banigan Festival of Basey in Samar; Uway Festival of Talalora in Samar and the  Buyogan Festival of Abuyog, Leyte, which was the winner of the Aliwan Fiesta 2009 and Sinulog Festival 2010, as well as Pintados-Kasadyaan Hall of Fame holder.

At around 12:30 p.m. yesterday the Pintados-Kasadyaan hold its parade and performances inside the Center grounds, drawing howls of protest and dismay from many Taclobanons, visitors and the contingents themselves.

Petilla, in a press conference earlier in the morning, said: “It’s a big insult to the visitors who were expecting to see the street parade and how the city had recovered from the Yolanda devastation. What the city government did to Pintados was very shameful to the whole world.”

As the festival was limited only within the confines of the Leyte Sports Center, Petilla said she apologized to the choreographers and heads of the participating contingents for not holding the street dancing. “The contingents have good intention in joining the festival,” said the dejected chairperson of Pintados-Kasadyaan.

In defense of the city government’s permit, Derek Anido, head of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, told The Freeman: “The Pintados organizers are just twisting the issue because the delegates they were expecting to attend did not come. They were given a permit, so there’s no issue.”

Anido lashed back at Petilla by saying, “She makes a big deal about the parade, but have you heard her complained against the national government for not helping the Yolanda victims?”

The rift between Petilla’s Pintados and the city’s own Sangyaw Festival has been going on for years now. “It’s the same issue every year. We (the city) invited Pintados to a one or united festival parade on June 29 (vespers day of the Tacloban fiesta), but they declined. We invite them every year, but they don’t want unity,” said Anido.

For the past years, the Sangyaw Festival is being held separately by the city government as a nightly Festival of Lights event, complete with a parade of light-bedecked floats and colorful dancers.

The Church however did not want the fiesta, in honor of patron saint Señor Santo Niño de Tacloban, be mired in the controversy on who has the dominant right to hold a festival event for the annual celebration.

Reverend Fr. Amadeo Alvero, Palo Archdiocesan media director and Sto. Niño Parish vicar, told The Freeman: “The church participation of the Santo Niño fiesta is undoubtedly primary because it is a church activity in the first place. We started the fiesta celebration with Novena Masses from June 20 to June 28. We also had the Balyuan rites participated by the local governments of Tacloban and Basey town in Samar.”

Alvero added that today (Sunday) is the “Vespera with the Vigil Mass at 5 p.m. presided by Most Rev. Filomeno Bactol, bishop of Naval in Biliran. Then on feast day (June 30), the Pontifical Concelebrated Mass at 9 a.m. will be presided by Archbishop John Du of the Palo Archdiocese, followed by a procession in the afternoon.”  (FREEMAN)