What makes Tangub’s Tribu Sinanduloy dance troupe win so often in the Sinulog?
It helps that the city government of Tangub, Misamis Occidental, gives scholarship grants to all 180 performers by enrolling them in the city college.
The support of Mayor Philip Tan is key in harnessing local talent.
The city has a Performing Arts Center that trains local talent for various competitions all year round.
It cost P2 million to send a contingent to compete in Cebu’s Sinulog and spend for props and costumes, said Tangub’s choreographer Emelio “Jojin” Pascual, who hails from Mandaue City.
With that in mind, the P1 million cash prize won in the Sinulog festival “still doesn’t compensate for the expenses,” he said, but Tangub officials don’t look at the cost alone.
He said they place more value on the happiness and pride the Sinulog victory brings to the people of Tangub City and the positive exposure and media mileage for the locality.
allowance
The young performers also receive a P2,000 allowance each for their Cebu travel.
“We let them splurge before they go back home to Tangub,” said Pascual.
Sunday’s victory was a sweet sweep for Tangub City, which won the championship trophy for the Sinulog-based dancing category and the two special awards for Best in Costume and Best in Musicality,
Tangub City started joining the Sinulog in 2000, winning a total of 11 championship trophies in both categories of free interpretation and Sinulog-based dancing.
They only missed the championship crown three times – in 2004, 2008 and 2012.
“We had to think of new figures but still maintain the reverence,” he said, adding that recruitment and rehearsals started three months earlier in October 2012.