NEW THEME. San Juan’s Wattah Wattah Festival celebration this year will not center on the “basaan” but the importance of conserving limited water resources. —GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
The San Juan City government on Friday announced the ditching of the traditional “basaan” or water dousing during this year’s Wattah Wattah Festival to conserve water in preparation for the looming dry spell to be brought by the El Niño phenomenon. “The traditional fire truck parade, which involves the spraying and dousing of water along the streets of San Juan will be suspended as part of the local government’s efforts to conserve water,” said San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora. The Wattah Wattah is a festival, which residents celebrate in honor of St. John the Baptist, who baptized people in the Jordan River, by playing with water. Zamora said the city will instead hold a “Basbasan sa Makabagong San Juan,” where the image of St. John the Baptist will be paraded and priests will bless residents with holy water. According to Zamora, the city previously held this kind of “basbasan” during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. —Abby Boiser