‘Higantes Parade’ entertaining but a bit ‘conservative’

MYTHICAL characters from a book on the beliefs, legends and superstitions of ancient Bicol parade on Rizal Street in Legazpi City on Tuesday in “Mythos kan Albay Parade of the Giants.” From left: Anito, Aswang, Angongolood and Tambaloslos.

MONTROUS, amusing, enchanting and scary, if a bit gross, 29 mythical creatures from ancient Bicol showed up for the “Higantes Parade” in Legazpi City on Tuesday afternoon, keeping thousands of spectators in awe on its fourth year of staging here.

City residents and a sprinkling of foreign tourists viewed the parade as one of the highlights of the monthlong Daragang Magayon festival, an annual event promoting trade and tourism in Albay for the past 16 years.

Creatures as tall as 10 feet and fashioned from papier-mâché by local artists strutted along the 3-kilometer stretch of Rizal Street, Legazpi’s main thoroughfare, from the Trilon Monument at the Legazpi Port District to Peñaranda Park in Albay District.

A number of them were also animated, including Ibingan, a flaming red-orange dragon with fins at the back and a mouth spitting a fountain of “poisonous” fluid, actually water that showered on oglers.

Artist Bert “Sili King” Gonzales’ “Dawani,” a woman with spear on her hands while riding on a horse, bagged the first prize of P75,000 cash. Ibingan won for its creator Juanito Napay P50,000, while Angongolood, a giant orangutan with long fur made of abaca strings, made by Jeanette Napay, got P25,000 as third prize.

Entertaining

Josie Matociños-Miraflor, 55, a government employee and resident of Daraga, Albay, said the parade was “more entertaining than educational.”

One of the creatures, known as Tambaluslus, was quite “offensive” last year, but this year, its big genitalia was still there but was shown “discreetly,” Miraflor said.

The creature, described by the provincial tourism office as having “wide protruding lips covering its face when it laughs and loose-bagged testicles dangling to the ground,” was one of the crowd favorites because of its new appearance.

This year, the genitals were covered with gabi (taro) leaves, though still visible from the sides. One hand of the creature covered his eyes while the other gestured a peace sign.

Conservative

Tambaloslos’ features were criticized during past stagings by some sectors, especially the Church. Some authorities on folk literature said the creature’s genitals as described by authors of Bicol myths were not as exaggerated as depicted in the parade.

Fictionist and poet Abdon Balde, who is also a consultant of the Provincial Tourism and Cultural Affairs Office, said the features of the giants were based on the book “The Brief Account of Beliefs, Legends, Superstitions and Religion of the Ancient Indios of Bicol” written by Fr. Jose Castaño in 1870.

Joemil Mujar Jr. a Business Administration senior student of Bicol University (BU), said the Higantes parade was “better than last year” but he believed the appearance of the controversial Tambaloslos should not have been altered.

“Last year, Tambaloslos did not seem to be conservative,” he said.

Bejay Zafra, 19, a Tourism Management student of Aquinas University of Legazpi, said the parade helped “create an awareness of our cultural heritage.”

It “became an avenue for Albayanos to trace the beliefs of their ancestors” before Spanish colonization and entry of Roman Catholicism in Bicol, said Jae Bermas, a fifth-year Mining Engineering student of BU.

Gov. Joey Salceda said the show was “telling the stories that our forefathers believed in and somehow based on their daily decisions and response to nature.”

‘More twist’

Peter Thomas Borlagdatan, a fourth year English student of BU, said the parade featured a limited number of characters.

But Romel Blazo, 22, a hotel waiter from neighboring Camalig town, described it as both “Astig” and “Magayon,” (cool and beautiful). So did Salvador Morente, 39, a halo-halo vendor, who thought of it as magayon and “entertaining.”

Honesto Valladolid, 47, a popcorn vendor in Peñaranda Park, was looking for a “different twist” this time. But he hoped that a lot more people would attend the activities of the Magayon Festival “because that would mean that I could also earn more.” With reports from interns Ma. Lourdes Gaufo, Jessica Bechayda, Joshua Caleb Pacleta, Jessamine Raynera and Alyanna Mae Masip