“Warring” festival groups unite for Tacloban fiesta

CEBU, Philippines - Two festival organizations, which were at odds in the past, have decided to unite this time and stage their respective events to celebrate Tacloban City’s fiesta celebration, in honor of the Señor Santo Niño, on June 30.

Officials of the city government’s Sangyaw Festival and those of the Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival Foundation said that, in the spirit of reconciliation, they have agreed to conduct all three festivals on June 29.

The Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival will be staged from morning until afternoon, while the Sangyaw’s Festival of Lights will be staged in the evening.

This was agreed recently in a joint meeting between the two groups: The city government’s Sangyaw, led by City Administrator Tecson John Lim, and the Pintados-Kasadyaan group, led by Alangalang town Mayor Loreto Yu.

The Sangyaw Festival of Lights was organized by the city government headed by the Romualdez family and the Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival has been identified with the Petilla family of Leyte province.

Lim told the media all went well in the meeting at the City Hall with “representatives of Sangyaw and Pintados-Kasadyaan discussed how we can all have a peaceful and fun-filled Fiesta this year and for the years to come.”

Yu, for his part, said the Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival is now allowed to do its street dancing along the parade route it requested from the city government, although its date was moved to June 29 instead of its original request of a June 27 event. 

Furthermore, the Pintados-Kasadyaan’s request to have nightly activities at the RTR Plaza was also approved by the city, added Yu. 

The holding of these festivals used to be a source of conflict in the past years, prompting the Pintados Foundation to seek for a court intervention when denied permits to stage its event by the city government, which insisted for the holding of the Sangyaw instead. 

The Pintados Festival is now in its 27th year. It is a religious celebration in homage to the Señor Santo Niño, the Patron Saint of Leyte, through merry-making and a re-enactment of the olden times when Leyteños were described by Spanish colonizers as “painted people.”

The Kasadyaan Festival, now in its 18th year, showcases the various festivals of the towns of Leyte province. It has been merged with the Pintados since then.

The Sangyaw Festival of Lights, launched only last year by the city government, celebrates the return of the Sto. Niño de Tacloban, which was said to have been lost in the past, causing malady to strike Taclobanons.

On her Facebook account, City Councilor Cristina Romualdez, wife of Mayor Alfred Romualdez, commented that she was looking forward to the festivities and happy that the two groups have decided to work in harmony.  (FREEMAN)