Tragedies won’t stop Sinulog dancers

They might have suffered the brunt of strong typhoons, but two towns and one city in the Visayas won’t be stopped from joining Cebu’s biggest festival in celebration of the feast of the Santo Niño on Sunday.

At least 3 million tourists are expected to witness the event.

The City of Catbalogan in Samar province, Alang-alang town in Leyte province and Placer town in Masbate province, have sent contingents to the dance competition of the Sinulog Grand Parade on Sunday.

They are not after the grand prize of P1 million each for the champions in the “Sinulog-based” (SB) and “free interpretation” (FI) categories, but regard their participation as a show of thanksgiving to the Holy Child Jesus for helping them rise after every calamity.

At least 22 people were killed on Dec. 30 when incessant rains brought by Typhoon “Seniang” triggered a landslide and buried six houses and a van in Barangay (village) Mercedes, Catbalogan City.

Dancer fatalities

Three of those killed were Cyril Jigs del Rosario, 14; Rafael Tafalla, 16; and Rico Carcellar, 17—all members of the Mandaragat Festival dance troupe that would represent Catbalogan in the Sinulog.

Del Rosario and Tafalla spent the night of Dec. 29 in the house of Carcellar. About 4 a.m., a landslide covered Carcellar’s house, burying alive its occupants.

Despite the devastation caused by Seniang, Catbalogan Mayor Stephany Uy-Tan decided to push through with the plan to join the parade.

“We are not giving up. We are joining the Sinulog because we have so many reasons to thank God, the Santo Niño, and our patron saint, San Bartolome for,” she said.

She admitted that she was criticized for spending P2.5 million to participate in the Cebu event–an amount that have been used for typhoon rehabilitation.

But the parents of Carcellar, Tafalla and Del Rosario had prodded the mayor to send the contingent and fulfill the boys’ dream, remembering their enthusiasm in going to Cebu to dance.

Bigger funding

Tan said she also did not want to disappoint the 500 other dancers, aged 14 to 17, who had been practicing their routine since October last year.

“I said to myself that the P2 million allocated for the Sinulog was already replaced by a bigger amount which we received in relief and cash donations from other local government units and private sector donors,” she said.

Tan said that when dancers of the Mandaragat Festival climb the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC) grandstand on Sunday, they are bringing with them the inspiration of their three dead colleagues.

Tribu Lingganay of Alang-alang skipped last year’s Sinulog because of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) though it won back to back championships in 2012 and 2013 in the FI category.

The Leyte provincial government, the group’s biggest fund contributor, had suspended financial assistance to the group   for rehabilitation projects.

The typhoon killed 3,600 people in Leyte, including 10 in Alang-alang. At least 98 percent of the town’s 54 villages were affected.

This year, Tribu Lingganay is back in competition and plans to retake its FI crown.

“We are never discouraged by the hardships that we face. We are thinking that is the road to winning the championship again,” said contingent coordinator Kent Jefflord Guillermo.

According to him, their participation is also a form of thanksgiving to the Child Jesus. “The protection and the resilience of our people, we owe it all to the Santo Nino,” he said.

Guillermo said the people’s prayers protected them from Typhoon “Ruby” and Seniang because Leyte was not as affected by the typhoons compared with the other provinces.

Placer has sent even two contingents even if the Masbate town is still reeling from Ruby, which damaged 2,000 houses on Dec. 6.

Kulturang Placereño is the defending champion in the SB category. Tribu Himag-ulaw will again compete in the FI category after finishing second to grand champion Lumad Basakanon last year.

The SB entry is more of the spiritual and emotional dance designed to venerate the Holy Child. The FI, on the other hand, is meant to entertain the Child-God.

Placer Mayor Joshua Judd Lanete II said they remained thankful because no one died during Ruby’s onslaught. “Most of them were affected. Properties were damaged but no lives were lost. We have to give thanksgiving for that,” he said.

“I never expect to win. I just tell my people to strive and give it their best presentation to honor the Santo Niño. It is never a competition to us. It is an offering,” he added.

Lanete said that if the town will again win, it would already be a bonus.

More exciting

Ricky Ballesteros, executive director of the Sinulog Foundation Inc., said out-of-town contingents would need at least P3 million to fund a Sinulog entry.

Placer, Alang-alang and Catbalogan are just among eight such contingents which will compete against at least 30 others in the Sinulog Grand Parade.

The others are Panglao town in Bohol province, Abuyog town in Leyte, Tangub City in Misamis Occidental province, and those representing Lanao del Norte and North Cotabato provinces.

The dancing “bees” of Abuyog topped the FI in the 2009 Sinulog.

As of Wednesday, 43 contingents had registered in the dance competition, 34 floats, 33 “higantes” (giant figures) and 15 puppeteers. The number was expected to increase as registration would close on Friday.

The contingents will parade on a carousel route that covers 6 kilometers.

The Grand Parade kicks off at 9 a.m. at the grandstand inside the CCSC and will end at 7 p.m.

Dennis Navarro, choreographer of Lumad Basakanon of Barangay Basak San Nicolas in Cebu City, said the participation of the out-of-town contingents was giving them pressure to clinch a back to back FI championship this year.

Ballesteros promised a bigger and brighter celebration as the annual festival turns 35 years old on Sunday, the culmination of the weeklong festivities.

“It’s going to be an exciting Sinulog,” he said.