Iloilo City becomes world class

"It's not what you look that matters. It's what you see."

 —Henry David Thoreau

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

NOTHING can beat the Ilonggos when it comes to unity, panache, radiance, splendor, preparations and hosting of gigantic events like the exciting Dinagyang Festival.

Thus, we take exception when some media networks in Imperial Manila sometimes inadvertently zero in only on Cebu’s Sinulog and Kalibo’s Ati-Atihan festivals and “skip” or “ignore” Iloilo’s Dinagyang Festival when making a feature story or special report about the cultural and religious events related to the feast of Señor Santo Niño (Child Jesus).

With its storied past and magnificent cultural and ati dance presentations, Dinagyang Festival holds a special place in the hearts of devotees even from other regions, provinces, cities, and municipalities in the entire archipelago.

Since 1967 when it first roared off the streets in Iloilo City, Dinagyang Festival has improved by leaps and bounds over the years and is now known worldwide—in the USA, Australia, Japan, Korea, UK, many parts of Europe—because of the word of the mouth, media technology, excellent teamwork and organization by local leaders, and positive remarks from visiting foreigners.

The choreography in the ati competitions, for instance, is now at par—if not better—with the mardi gras even in New Orleans (USA), Rio De Janeiro (Brazil), Binche (Belgium), Venice (Italy), Cologne (Germany), and the Polynesian festivals.

 

 

-o0o-

 

 

We witnessed how the Americans were amazed when Dinagyang Festival ati warriors from Tribu Pan-ay and Tribu Panayanon gyrated and pirouetted in New York City during the Philippine Independence Day Parade in June 2011, 2013, 2018.

When it became known as the "Queen of All Philippine Festivals" after the world Dinagyang (from Hiligaynon word “dagyang” which means merrymaking) was coined in 1977, the festival in the City of Love has been highly touted, lauded, and awarded for its vibrant, organized, and culturally rich street dancing.

Ilonggos have shown the world they lived in a great city with a great festival and a great hospitality.

The successful stagings of past and modern Dinagyang Festivals said it all.

In the 2023 edition, Ilonggos were able to solidly exorcise the stigma of the pandemic that pulled the festival away from the streets for a while, and handled the spectacle with a reinvigorated energy, confidence and pride.  

 

 

-o0o-

 

It is expected to translate into triple whammies—a boom in investment opportunities, a Renaissance in local tourism, and a bright prospect for peace and order.

Vatican, as well as the Roman Catholic hierarchy, would be fascinated by how the Ilonggos venerated the Child Jesus, Señor Santo Niño: wholistic and unalloyed.

Hospitality is what the Ilonggos are known for; and it has been manifested in the way they welcomed, hosted, and entertained guests from other parts of the country and outside the Philippines.

Visitors witnessed the amazing display of indigenous talents and materials in the two-day Kasadyahan and ati tribe competitions and in the awesome exhibition of cultural and religious presentations days earlier, including the iconic and the much-revered fluvial and foot processions that featured the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) fiber boats, dragon boats, jet skis, yachts, barges, and bancas.

The PCG’s 3503 MV Romblon has always been leading the fluvial parade from Fort San Pedro and passing through the Guimaras strait towards the Iloilo River.

Kudos to the Iloilo Festivals Foundation, Inc. (IFFI), Iloilo City Government, the Iloilo Provincial Government, the regional, provincial and city tourism offices, Philippine National Police Police Regional Office 6.

 

 

-o0o-

 

 

We are not alone. There are billions of galaxies, according to Carl Sagan. 

Thanks to Albert Einstein who broadened the Law of Mechanics initiated by Galileo and Isaac Newton with his Theory of Relativity. 

Truly, scientific achievement in the 20th century has become the major yardstick with which to measure a nation's cultural advancement.

It is estimated that the Earth is 98 billion years old. 

Dinosaurs lived on earth for about 100 million years before they were annihilated by a cometary impact, among other theories. 

We humans starting from homo sapiens have not even inhabited the Earth for one million years but many of us already think we are already the most knowledgeable creatures in the universe.

 

 

-o0o-

 

 

One manifestation of possible life in a certain planet is the presence of micro-organisms. 

Scientists have reportedly found a micro-organism in planet Mars. 

Was Mars inhabited by living creatures millions if not billions of years ago? 

How about in Jupiter, Saturn, among other planets in and outside the Solar System not yet explored by human beings from planet Earth?

Those who condemn the person who rejects an organized religion should study Plato's "Allegory of the Cave"

The evolution of human thought is among homo sapien's best contributions to civilization.

 

 

-o0o-

 

 

Ayn Rand, author of "Atlas Shrugged", was reportedly a cougar like Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of Europe's most powerful women, Elizabeth I, Catherine II, and Mae West.

"Who are you?" was the first question Sophie Amundsen got from an anonymous letter sender in the New York Times bestseller "Sophies's World", a novel about the history of philosophy, written by Jostein Gaarder, author of "The Solitaire Mystery"

 

-o0o-

 

 

Sex education is a broad term used to describe education about human sexual anatomy, sexual reproduction, sexual intercourse, reproductive health, emotional relations, reproductive rights and responsibilities, abstinence, contraception, and other aspects of human sexual behavior. Common avenues for sex education are parents or caregivers, school programs, and public health campaigns.

 (The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)

 

Why I never missed a single ‘Dinagyang’

 “For me, religious festivals and celebrations have become an important way to teach my children about how we can transform living with diversity from the superficial 'I eat ethnic food', to something dignified, mutually respectful and worthwhile.”

—Randa Abdel-Fattah

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

BACK in the 70s in Iloilo City in the Philippines, we never missed a single Dinagyang Festival each year until the late 80s.

We were always present in the old Iloilo Freedom Grandstand, the festival’s focal point or main spotlight.

We never paid a single centavo for the front row seats. If I can remember it right, Iloilo Freedom Grandstand was libre or free; we get seated on a first- come-first-serve basis.

Since we lived in the City Proper, or a walking distance from where the main action unwrapped, we always beat everyone to the draw when it comes to front seat view, so to speak.

We could sustain watching the show the whole morning even on a standing position.

We sometimes joined early in the morning in the bandwagon of one tribe—Atub Atub—which was our “neighbor” in Brgy. Rizal Estanzuela (we lived in “RJ” or Rizal Jalandoni, City Proper) and “jumped ship” once the tribe arrived and performed in the grandstand.

When the tribe left to perform in other judging areas, we stayed behind the grandstand.

 

-o0o-

 

We were told then that the ati tribe dance competition normally was the pinnacle of the week-long Dinagyang Festival held on the third Sunday of January after the festive parade sponsor mardi gras on Saturday (later developed into outstanding and illuminating cultural tribe jousts by competing public schools and municipalities).

The presentations were dignified, mutually respectful and worthwhile just like what we see in the modern Dinagyang Festival today.

We were excited to participate in the street dance or merrymaking and could easily find the best area to stay—without going through the proverbial eye of the needle.

Without being pushed and shove forcefully by authorities, we watched the mesmerizing and tantalizing ati dances at the Iloilo Freedom Grandstand on corner Iznart and Mapa Streets, its original site, which wasn’t so colorful and sophisticated like what we have in the new location today.

 

-o0o-

 

No ticket was sold in the main performance area and other judging stages; no rough and arrogant cops were deployed to restrict our movements and tag us as “eyesores” (college cadets were later dispatched to help control the growing crowd in the succeeding years).

No scalpers, only showboaters, pickpockets, and molesters in the crowd.

There was no “live” international media coverage and social media to chronicle the event in the Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter but the state-controlled IBC TV-12 television station, radio stations dyRP, dyRI, and Yuhum magazine, were among those that spearheaded the publicity and promotion of the event, which was so simple and no “official accreditation.”

Media technology was primitive.

It was the salad years for commercial photographers credited and responsible for the evocative and eye-catching postcards that circulated around the world in the 70s and early 80s.

Those were years when black and white photography was prepotent.

 

-o0o-

 

But the religious and cultural festival’s real “soul” was the fluvial parade or fluvial procession, according to then Mayor Renerio “Nering” Ticao, who, in 1968, led a group of Ilonggo leaders and then parish priest of San Jose Church, Fr. Ambrosio Galindez, OSA, and the devotees of Sr. Santo Niño in welcoming the model of the child Jesus’ image from Cebu City to the San Jose Parish Church in the Dinagyang’s infant stage.

Fr. Suplicio Ebderes, OSA led the Cebu delegation.

Until today, the original venerated image that arrived in 1968 is still preserved there and a Novena in its honor is regularly held there.

“In the early morning light of dawn, the respected Santo Niño image is borne on a decorative banca in a fluvial procession, starting from the mouth of the Iloilo River at Fort San Pedro, winding all the way to the Iloilo Provincial Capitol which stands on the bank of the Iloilo River,” Dr. Vic Pido recalled in I-TRAVEL.

Happy Dinagyang and Viva Sr. Santo Niño!

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)

 

 

Bong Revilla in the eyes of our friend Arnel Asturias

“Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.”

—Marcus Aurelius

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

IF he were in Metro Manila or near where supporters of Ramon Bautista “Bong” Revilla Jr. were holding a rally in support of the former senator on January 19, our friend Arnel Asturias, punong barangay of Punong, Lapuz in Iloilo City in the Philippines would have been one of those holding a placard screaming, “We love you, Senator Bong Revilla.”

Arnel is one of the only few Ilonggos who believe that Revilla Jr. is a “good person.”

Weeks after Revilla Jr. surrendered before the Sandiganbayan for his alleged involvement in Janet Napoles’ pork barrel scam on June 20, 2014, I was in the Philippines and discussed the issue with Arnel over a cup of coffee inside the Atrium’s bakeshop in Iloilo City.

Arnel, one of the former senator’s non-political (he wasn’t yet a punong barangay at that time) friends in Iloilo, did not believe Revilla Jr. scammed the taxpayers in cahoots with Napoles, who is still in jail until now.

 

-o0o-

 

“It’s part of political persecution,” Arnel, who became involved in local politics after succeeding his wife Tweet as punong barangay in the same village, remarked without offering evidence.

“He has earned the ire of some powerful political groups in the country because he is a strong contender for president.”

Revilla Jr. never ran for president.

Arnel was Revilla Jr.’s regular visitor during the Cavite politician’s heyday as senator.

The former popular showbiz action star called him as “Manong Arnel” and felt comfortable if the tall and menacing looking Ilonggo former radioman was on his side every time the Cavite politician visited Iloilo.

Their friendship dated back when Revilla’s father, the late Ramon Sr. was still senator in 1992. The father Revilla was known as the “Father of the Public Works Act.”

The dead Revilla and some of Arnel’s Manila-based Ilonggo associates were friends and “had many things in common.”

Arnel’s connections with Revilla Jr. “strengthened” when he became a liaison in the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) regional office during the time of the late former President Fidel V. Ramos.

 

-o0o-

 

Revilla Jr., now 59, was among the big political names in the Philippines slapped with plunder case and went to jail under the Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III administration.

The former showbiz heartthrob-turned-politician stood accused of 16 counts of graft for his alleged role in the transfer of ‎P517 million (US$10.5 million) of his discretionary funds to fake foundations “masterminded” by Napoles.

All of Revilla Jr.‘s cases were dismissed by Sandiganbayan in 2021, and he was ordered to return to the government P124.5 million (US$2.53 million) in civil liability, which he failed to do until now.

Arnel said he was vindicated when Revilla Jr. was acquitted of plunder by the Sandiganbayan and released from jail on December 7, 2018.

“I knew it would come,” he quipped.

Now that Revilla Jr. is back in jail again, this time in Payatas, Quezon City, prepared especially for flood control project scammers, Arnel is expected to again defend his friend known as “pogi” and “budots.”

 

-o0o-

 

In 2024, we warned that it’s hard to imagine Iloilo City being swallowed whole by two behemoths while the Ilonggos celebrated the Dinagyang Festival 2024, which had officially romped off on January 12.

“If this happens,” we wrote, “it’s like watching the city and province of Iloilo turning into a purgatory, a place of purification or temporary punishment in which, according to medieval Christian and Roman Catholic belief, the souls of those who die in a state of grace are made ready for heaven.”

We added: “Extremely scary and unpalatable. It would be one step closer to perdition and hell.

“Ilonggos would explode in total revulsion and forcefully curse the national government for its inability and failure to safeguard the region’s power supply and protect Iloilo after being hit by a shocking darkness, a post new year howitzer.

“We’re referring to the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) proposed shutdown of telecommunication networks during the festival’s major events, and the looming power blackout as feared by the Department of Energy (DoE) because of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines’ (NGCP) intransigence and unforeseeable attitude toward power stability in Panay Island and the neighboring provinces in Western Visayas.

“It seems the Ilonggos are being made to suffer and punished for the sins of irresponsible and incompetent bureaucrats.”

Thank God the nightmares and did not happen and hopefully will never happen in the future.

 

-o0o-

 

SAVING OUR PLANET. Let’s de-scorch with milk.  To remove iron scorches from colorfast clothing and fabrics, let’s gently simmer the scorched article in one cup soap flakes (or grated pure-Castile soap) and four pints of milk for 10 minutes. Then rinse thoroughly, allow to dry, and wash normally.

IF WE GRAB A CANDY BAR when we have PMS, we're likely to recognize the hormonal connection. but what if it's our credit card we're reaching for? Turns out that spending may also be influenced by hormones.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)