A world of fantasy rises in ComVal farming town

A WORLD of wonder rises in the town of Montevista in Compostela Valley province with a population of 40,000 people dependent on farming. FRINSTON LIM

Want to visit the world’s landmarks this Yuletide season for just P10? Montevista, the bucolic farming town of 40,000 people in Compostela Valley province, may be the place to go.

The sprawling grounds fronting the municipal hall of Montevista have been transformed into a virtual panorama of lights, where thousands troop to marvel at representations of some of the planet’s most recognizable infrastructures.

Built by village officials, local government employees, students and other residents, France’s Eiffel Tower, Malaysia’s Petronas Towers and other structures came into being using all available materials and are now serving as centerpieces of the town’s Diwa sa Kasanag/Diwanag (Spirit of Light) festival.

For just P10, visitors can tour the hilly plaza to enjoy the grand display of lights illuminating the landmark replicas.

Alternative destination

With the theme “Christmas around the World,” this year’s event aims to further position Montevista as an alternative tourism destination in southern Mindanao, said Edwin Antia, municipal information officer.

SEEING representations of famous international landmarks takes residents of Montevista to parts of the world they might not even be aware existed. FRINSTON LIM

“Our town has few natural tourist destinations to offer, so we decided to create something new, such as this festival, to lure visitors,” Antia said.

Strategically located atop a hill overlooking the Davao-Agusan segment of the Pan-Philippine Highway, the festival site provides easy access to many people who commute daily along one of Mindanao’s important arteries.

Mayor Eutropio Jayectin said the festival showed solidarity among Montevista residents. “People from different sectors contributed in setting up the replicas and other sights, even shelling out their own money for the materials,” he said.

Residents and officials of the town’s 20 villages, as well as municipal employees participated in the building of the replicas, said Antia, the town’s spokesperson.

Influx of visitors

Starting as the Christmas Lights Festival in 2003, Diwanag was further strengthened with the passage of a municipal ordinance five years later.

“Since it started, the festival has already attracted at least 50,000 visitors, from as far as Caraga region and Davao Oriental. This year, we expect the figure to be in the thousands,” Antia said.

Dandy Llaban, executive assistant to the mayor, said Diwanag was conceptualized as an alternative tourism advocacy, with the local government taking advantage on the area’s location at Mindanao’s crossroads.

It continues to draw support from local tourists because it tried to innovate and “level up” every year, Llaban said.

“It’s not the same Diwanag year after year. We try to introduce something new and interesting each year,” the mayoral aide said.

Municipal revenue

Cash prizes and “development project packages” are at stake for the “most beautiful and grandiose” landmark replica, according to Jayectin.

The 15-day Diwanag has been a good source of revenue for the local government, with gate receipts in 2013 totaling P600,000. “But the biggest benefit we could get (out of the festival) is in helping the local nightly economy grow,” Llaban said.

“Small-time businesses, particularly the jamboleros (ambulant vendors) were given the opportunity to earn,” he said. Stalls given by the government for the 2012 typhoon survivors for a fee line the streets leading to the festival premises, with vendors selling snacks, delicacies and even trinkets to visitors.

Julieta Geraldez, 71, who owns a stall beside the Eiffel Tower replica, reported increasing sales in the past days.

“I usually earn at least P100 from 6 p.m. until midnight. Sales are better when the weather’s fine as there are many visitors,” Geraldez said in the vernacular.

Antia said other areas, such as Trento, Agusan del Sur, had already expressed interest in replicating the festival, which culminates on Dec. 26.

Aside from awarding the best replica, other must-see activities include a mardi gras-like parade of lights, and competition for the best-lighted skylab, Montevista’s popular mode of public transport.