“If you're not in the parade, you watch the parade. That's life.”
--Mike Ditka
By Alex P. Vidal
The 21st Philippine Independence Commemoration Parade (29th Annual Parade, New York City) on June 2, 2019 will miss the presence of the delegations from the Dinagyang Festival and the Iloilo Trade Mission.
The Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. (PIDCI), the parade organizer in cooperation with the Philippine Consulate General in New York, has not confirmed the participation of the Ilonggo groups this year.
Both the Dinagyang Festival of Iloilo City and the Manggahan Festival of Guimaras Province and city officials from the first-ever private-initiated Iloilo City Trade Mission and Investment Forum Ilonggo Fashion and Jewelry Show in the East Coast held on June 4-10, 2018, took part in the biggest parade for the Philippine Independence Day in the East Coast on June 3, 2018.
Mayor Jose “Joe III” Espinosa, who spearheaded the Iloilo Trade Mission, was joined last year by his wife, Gina Sarabia-Espinosa.
Iloilo Dinagyang Foundation boss Ramon Cua Locsin led the Dinagyang Festival delegation.
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The team, led by Dr. Emily Noserale Hagad, president and project coordinator of Philcoman Research Institute, Inc. in the private sector, was composed of Councilor Plaridel Nava, Commercial Diplomat for Trade Relations of the City Rex Aguado, City Local Economic Enterprise Officer Jose Ariel Castañeda, City Planning Coordinator Jose Roni Peñalosa, Western Visayas State University College of Communication Dean, Dr. Carmencita "Menchie" Robles, University of the Philippines in the Visayas (UPV) Vice Chancellor Mary Ann Gumban, Iloilo Business Park-Megaworld Sales Director Carla Margarita Perez, Eon Group of Companies founder and CEO Felicito Tiu, StackTreck Enterprises CEO Billy Shung Hei Yuen, City Mayor’s Office staff Rosita Celiz, and journalists Florence Hibionada (Secretariat Chief), Tara Yap (Manila Bulletin) and Herbert Vego (Panay News), who also did Herculean efforts to promote Iloilo City as an ideal and perfect hub for business, tourism, education and investment.
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Alma May Tayo, chair of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) Iloilo Chapter Exhibitors’ Committee, also actively joined the trade mission in New York, Virginia and Washington D.C. and the New York City Independence Day parade.
City Tourism Operations Officer Florence King Haro Erlano and Iloilo City Tourism and Development Office staff Sheena Julienne Galon did amazing reinforcement tasks during the parade and the trade mission and investment forum.
Executive Assistant Jojo Castro, “Iloilo City’s Bong Go”, was with City Engineer Bobby Divinagracia, and Iloilo City National High School principal and Tribu Panayanon tribe manager, Dr. Blesilda V. Floro.
It was not immediately known if Mayor Joe III’s defeat to Rep. Geronimo “Jerry” Trenas in the May 13, 2019 elections had affected the reported plans earlier to duplicate the Iloilo Trade Mission, which became the talk of the town among members of the Filipino community in the East Coast when it was held for the first time last year.
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)
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