Welcome to New York, Manggahan and Dinagyang Festivals

“If you're not in the parade, you watch the parade. That's life.” -- Mike Ditka

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- There will be two Ilonggo festivals that will join the 120th Philippine Independence Day Parade in Madison Avenue on June 3.
For the first time in the parade’s history, the Manggahan Festival of Guimaras Province and Dinagyang Festival of Iloilo City will join the colorful parade to be hosted by the biggest city in the United States’ east coast.
Manggahan Festival, to be represented by Hubon Manguguma, and Dinagyang Festival, to be represented by 2018 champion Tribu Panayanon of the Iloilo City National High School will help create awareness of Filipino culture and to raise funds for charity projects in the Philippines and the United States.
They are all expected to arrive in the JFK Airport on May 31.
Their trip will be part of the Iloilo City trade mission sponsored by the PHILCOMAN in partnership with the Asian American Chamber of Commerce (AACC) and the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce Washington DC (PACC DC), journalist Herbert Vego, who is joining the entourage, confirmed.
They will also perform in Washington, D.C., New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
“I found out that while the PIDCI has indeed invited the city government for the June 3 affair, the sponsor of the US tour is the Philippine Research Institute in cooperation with the Asian American Chamber of Commerce (Virginia) and the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce (Washington DC),” Vego said.
“There will be activities sa NYC from June 1 upon arrival until June 4 p.m., all aimed at promoting Iloilo to American and Filipino investors. I hope maka-attend ka. Mayor Espinosa will surely be around, kasama si Misis.”

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Their participation in this years’s parade that is expected to attract over 100,000 people, was made possible through Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. (PIDCI) past president Joji Juele-Jalandoni who watched the Dinagyang Festival’s farewell performance at the Iloilo Freedom Grandstand in Iloilo City in January 2018 together with Ilonggo factotum and media liaison Jay Balnig.
New Jersey-based Ilonggo community leader Boy Dinzon said the Ilonggo community in New York City and New Jersey will hold a “Dinagyang and Manggahan sa NYC Fundraising Dinner on June 1 at six o’clock until 10 o’clock in the evening.
“We need to unite and help them because they are in the forefront in helping promote our culture, tourism and pride as Ilonggos,” Dinzon said.
Iloilo City Tourism Officer Junel Ann Divinagracia, Iloilo Provincial Tourism Officer Bombette Golez Marin, and Guimaras Provincial Tourism Officer Liberty Ferrer will accompany the two festival tribes in a trade mission spearheaded by the Iloilo Dinagyang Foundation led by Ramon Cua Locsin, Iloilo City Mayor Jose Espinosa III and wife Gina Sarabia-Espinosa, and several Guimaras provincial officials.

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The US Philippine Independence Day celebration in the northeastern also includes the 12 states under the jurisdiction of the Philippine Consulate General in New York, namely, Connecticut, Delaware, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont.
Other areas can be invited to participate in PIDC's many activities by the overall chairperson, depending on the theme each year, according to former New York Philippine Consul General Mario Lopez de Leon Jr.
Guests in this year’s parade will be hosted by Consul General Ma. Theresa B. Dizon-De Vega in the Philippine Consulate on Fifth Avenue.
Traditionally held along Madison Avenue from 37th to 25th Streets in Manhattan, the climax of the preparation, the Philippine Independence Day Parade, Street Fair and Cultural Show, held on the first Sunday in June each year is the biggest celebration of Philippine Independence outside the Philippines. The Street Fair and Cultural Show take place on the east side of Madison Square Park.
Iloilo City Local Economic Enterprise Office (LEEO) chief Ariel Castañeda, meanwhile, has called on all West Visayas State University (WVSU) alumni in New York City, Virginia and Washington DC and nearby please join the Iloilo City trade mission team and Dinagyang tribe in the Phil Independence Day parade on June 3.

DOT fund for New York parade ‘intact’

By Alex P. Vidal

FAIRFAX, Virginia – Even if she did not attend the 119th Philippine Independence 27th Annual Parade in New York City on June 4, 2017, Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Wanda Corazon Tulfo-Teo decided to retain the $100,000 she had pledged for the event and didn’t withdraw the “donation” as feared earlier, it was learned eve before the parade.

Philippine Tourism Promotions Board Chief Operating Officer Cesar Montano, the source of Teo’s alleged “displeasure”, represented the DOT.

Montano, Teo’s subordinate, joined Miss Universe 2015 Pie Wurtzbach, Miss World 2013 Megan Young and Miss International 2016 Kylie Verzosa.

Sources told us earlier Teo “felt bad” after parade organizers sent the invitation to attend the parade to Montano instead of Teo.

“Secretary Wanda, a good friend of mine, felt she was bypassed thus she was contemplating on withdrawing the amount the DOT had earlier pledged for the event,” said a source who refused to be named but was “sacked” two days before the parade when the Teo story, which was leaked exclusively to this writer, was traced from her.

CONFIRMED

Dr. Prospero Lim, president of the New York-based Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. (PIDCI), confirmed to this writer on May 28 that Teo “decided to withdraw” from the parade but did not specify why.

“Just give us a good write up,” Lim appealed.

The Parade was held on Madison Avenue (38th-27th Streets) in busy Manhattan. It used to be held on Fifth Avenue.

Singers Martin Nievera, Asia’s Nightingale Lani Misalucha, American Idol’s 11th Season 1st runner-up winner Jessica Sanchez, New York-based Ms World-Philippines 2014 Valerie Weigman, current Grand Champion Global Pinoy Singing Idol, Shane Ericks, and comedian Mikey Bustos also joined the biggest parade of Filipino community in the United States.

PIDCI’s 2017 Parade Grand Marshals Drs. Rod and Ellen Castillo spearheaded the parade with the Mrs. Kalayaan and Diwa ng Kalayaan and their court with Dr. Lim and the PIDCI Board of Directors, the Philippine Consulate General in New York.

PARTICIPATE

Hundreds Fil-Am Organizations and local beauty queens and kings from all over the US and government officials also participated in the parade.

This year’s PIDCI officers and Board of Directors are: President – Prospero A. Lim, MD; Vice-President – Raul Estrellado; Secretary – Joycelyn Aligarbes; Treasurer – Nora Galleros; Internal Auditor – Annie Ortiz; General Counsel – Manny B. Quintal, Esq.

Directors- Anthony Bautista, Olivia David, Dora Koltsidis, Rely Manacay, Beth Manalo, Ronie Mataquel, Bert Olimpo, Nonoy Rafael, Levi Tejada,Shiran Ybanez; Antero Martinez – Executive Director, Gheng Pingol – Special Assistant to the President and Honorary Adviser Consul General Ma. Theresa D. De Vega.

Others who joined the parade were: Mrs Kalayaan 2017-Lourdes Romero Saleh, Mrs Kalayaan Fil-Am 2017-Jodi Michelle Orencia, Mrs Kalayaan Philippines 2017-Rosalie Rabeje, Mrs Kalayaan Luzon 2017-Ann Constantino Beck, Diwa ng Kalayaan 2017-Ramona Munsayac, Bituin ng Luzon-Jasmine Sta Cruz, Bituin ng Visayas-Pearl Reyes, Bituin ng Mindanao-Leah Elizabeth Wong