CEBU, Philippines — Crowds numbering up to a thousand dotted Olango Island's shorelines in Barangay San Vicente yesterday to mark the yearly Baliw-Baliw Festival.
True to its name, which literally means "going crazy," the festival featured men donning women's clothes, a man bringing nets with cats and frogs snared in it, a fight between a chicken and a cat, and other crazy stuff.
"Wala gyud ni siya’y target or specific date kung kanus-a sa buwan sa Mayo. Amo nang tan-awon kung unsa kadako ang dagat anang mga petsaha. Duha gyud na ka (adlaw sa) dagat ang mapilian namo sa buwan sa Mayo," San Vicente Barangay Captain Cyrus Eyas told The FREEMAN.
Father Milton Medida, parish priest of Olango, said the festival is not related to the fiesta celebration of St. Vincent Ferrer, the barangay's patron saint.
While he considers the Holy Mass and fluvial parade in honor of the saint, Medida said he respects the barangay's customs and is not inclined to oppose them.
"Kung maghimo na sila sa Baliw-Baliw Festival, dili nami manghilabot ana," he said.
Eyas said they wanted to celebrate the festival last May 20 but the residents disapproved of the idea saying that the pigs they raised were too young to be slaughtered. They all opted for a later date that still falls in May.
If the festival is moved to June, Eyas said people in his barangay would get mad and disappointed because according to their beliefs, a "disaster" will happen in the barangay if the May schedule is not followed.
"Ang mga karaang (tawo), mga katiguwangan, basta maabot og June ang selebrasyon, duna gyud katalagman nga moabot," said Eyas, who also wondered about the age-old belief.
Though he does not fully believe the idea, Eyas said he would just allow his constituents to continue the long-time tradition.
Yesterday, hundreds of residents and island visitors witnessed the festival. Animals figured prominently in the occasion. There were men dressed in ladies' clothing. Others sprinkled beer on top of their heads and formed circles and danced to the tune of lively beats.
Eyas said they have not received complaints on animal cruelty so far, but the barangay was previously hit by a national television network for staging the activity.
He said he is encouraging the residents to get rid of explicit images or lewd acts during the festival because children might follow them.
In closing, the village chief said some people may call the festival a bizarre one but the term "baliw-baliw", he said, has been misinterpreted by many.
"Sa una, sa akong namatngunan og buot, Sakay-Sakay ra man unta ang tawag ana pero naa naman nang kana bitaw magpabaliw, ang lalaki magsul-ob og pina-babaye, mag-bra, mag-panty," he said.
Eyas also said the festival's origins have not been traced and no one knows the real reason how it started. When he was a child, Eyas asked his grandfather about it, but the latter was also clueless. — KBQ (FREEMAN)