Leyte, Tangub on top

Thunderous applause and a standing ovation from the grandstand were an early sign of the victory of Alang-Alang from Leyte province, which was adjudged champion of the Sinulog 2013 in free-interpretation  dancing.

Flower props, a fast beat and synchronized movements created a “visual feast,” said Nestor Jardin, chairman of the board of judges, in the annual competition which is usually dominated by out-of-town visitors.

“The discipline of the dancers and the props holders, the smooth way the sequences transpose from one to the other… they did a wonderful job,” he said after contest results were released close to midnight.

The champion in the Sinulog-based dancing category was Tangub City’s Tribu Sinanduloy from Misamis Occidental, which has topped the contest almost yearly since 2002 and was one of the most applauded entries.  Both champions won a P1 million cash prize. (See table of complete results on page 1)

NO RAIN

Cebu’s biggest festival in honor of the Sto. Niño wrapped up after a day-long parade under sunny and clear skies despite weather forecasts of rain.

“This is the first time in the past 10 years it didn’t rain during the parade,” said Ricky Ballesteros, the festival’s lead organizer.

Police said 4 million spectators crowded Cebu city streets yesterday, surpassing last year’s attendance of 3.5 million.

“The crowd grew bigger compared to last year’s,” said Senior Supt. Mariano Natu-el, Cebu City’s police chief, who gave the figure, even though some quarters pointed out that 4 million is already the total population of Cebu province.

The tourism industry benefits greatly from the merrymaking and flood of visitors who come for the festival, which has roots in the devotion to the Sto. Niño or Child Jesus, whose wooden icon was a gift of Ferdinand Magellan to the island’s local chieftain Rajah Humabon in 1521.

GWEN’S DANCE

A point of suspense this year was the last-minute performance of suspended Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia on stage in the Cebu City  Sports Center.

The audience clapped, hooted and cheered, when she emerged past 7 p.m in a glittering white gown and silver cut-out headdress as lead dancer of Liloan town’s Rosquillos Festival.

There were a few boos as well, drowned out by the loud music, but it was far from the kind of heckling she said was the “risk” she took in stepping out for the first time from her Capitol office, where she’s been holed up for a month in defiance of a six-month suspension ordered by the Office of the President.

Garcia continued to dance and smile, cradling a Sto. Niño icon in her arms and hoisting it in the air, till the 15-minute presentation ended.

“Cebuanos are educated and civilized,” said Ballesteros with obvious relief, after observing the audience response to what was Garcia’s ninth and last time to dance in the Sinulog Festival as governor.  Garcia returned to her Capitol office afterward without incident. (See story on page 2.)

NO ALARMS

Aside from the expected traffic congestion caused by the parade, there were no major trouble alarms.

A 16-year-old female dancer from the contingent of North Cotabato City was treated in the hospital for a broken ankle  after she was sideswept by a motorcycle in the convoy of Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama who was roving the parade route in New Imus Road.

The mayor declared Sinulog 2013 open at 9:15 a.m.  signalling the start of the parade. The Cebu City Sports Center was the end point of the parade and main stage of performances by over 40 dance contingents. On the streets, thousands of spectators got a glimpse of each dance troupe, a record high number of 46 floats, 28 higante entries and 28 puppeteers.

The parade capped off with a fireworks display past 8 p.m. but the Sinulog revelry continued till the wee hours of the morning for thousands who roamed the city streets for sight-seeing, drinking sprees, parties and hanging out. /With reports by Marian Codilla, Joy Cherry Quito, Carmel Loise Matus, Christine Emily Pantaleon and Jucell Marie Cuyos