Drums thunder in Iloilo

The infectious thumping of drums rolled across Iloilo City yesterday with Mayor Jerry Trenas appealing to Dinagyang patrons to participate in the Western Visayas regional capital’s tribute to Sto. Niño.

Hotels are bulging with guests. Not even the adverse travel advisories have been able to keep away foreigners who find Dinagyang an enchanting experience.

Besides, as tourism regional director Edwin Trompeta pointed out, almost 95 percent of Dinagyang visitors are domestic tourists. Thus, they don’t pay attention to foreign advisories to shy away from the Philippines and specific areas.

For one, several foreign diplomats are attending the festivities. This will culminate in the competition for the trophy of Dinagyang’s best-performing tribu. There is also the cultural side of the affair – an exhibit of the best works of Filipino painters led by Ben Cabrera.

There are, however, those handful for whom the ati-ati is best attended in Ibajay, Aklan, the second most populous municipality of that Panay province.

Over the years, the Ibajay ati-ati (the original, so claims Phajaynons) has attracted many foreigners. These are usually those from nearby Boracay Island, the world-famed tourist resort.

The reason for this is that Ibajay’s ati-ati has resisted attempts to commercialize it. In short, it remains culturally and religiously pure. There are no commercial advertisements. Neither on the floats which are from the barangays, nor the town proper.

Instead, the traditional ritual is for the Sto. Nino to be transferred at noontime from the Ibajay convent to the Church where it is installed amid the cheers of believers. Most of the participants in the procession are renewing their pledge to pay tribute to the Sto. Niño.

Cadiz Dinagsa

As mentioned in previous columns, the obsession with the Sto. Niño also gave rise to a rival celebration. The Dinagsa of Cadiz, already in its 29th year.

This started Monday with an opening Mass for Dinagsa participants. The various competing tribes massed in front of the Cadiz parish church and immediately gyrated their way through the principal streets of the northern Negros city.

There are a lot of activities everyday. The Cadiz City football festival, the Softball championship, agro-industrial fair, all ladies beach volleyball, dog show, Paralympics 2003 for handicapped children, band race, motocross, ballroom dancing.

Saturday, there will be various merry making presentations capped by Gary Valenciano at 7 p.m.

The culmination of the festivities will be on Sunday with the free for all Ati-atihan contest. This will be capped by the inauguration and blessing of the Don Bernardo Benedicto Sports and Community Center.

His excellency, Ambassador Francisco Benedicto with Dr. Ceferino Benedicto and some friends from Canada will attend the inauguration. Benedicto, Philippine ambassador to Canada, had gone out of his way to cajole friends to attend the Cadiz Dinagsa.

In Aklan as well as other parts of the country, there will be a series of local celebrations that extended from the first week of January until the end of this month. These are all in honor of the Holy Child Jesus.

Thus, one can often hear the cry – Viva el Senor Sto. Niño... hala bira!

Diwal revival

Last week, Valladolid harvested the first 3,876 pieces of angel wings. They were valued at P58,149.

Puny. But that heralded the revival of the diwal (angel wings) industry in Negros Occidental.

Actually, the Western Visayas’ demand for the luscious shellfish is supplied by Capiz where the SEAFDEC and the UP had put up a diwal breeding station.

Once, the towns of Valladolid, Pontevedra, and Ilog and San Enrique in Negros Occidental used to be the principal sources of diwal. It is considered by some as an aphrodisiac. Negrenses still recall that Valladolid used to ship out cans of diwal to its most famous fancier, the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos.

Oscar de Zuniga, one of Manila’s gourmets, used to ask me for diwal whenever I went to the National Press Club. And then he’d launch into singing paeans to the angel wings shell fish.

This time, the provincial government under Gov. Joseph Maranon is propagating the diwal in coastal areas of six cities and towns to revive the dying industry.

These are Silay City, Valladolid, Hinigaran, Ilog, San Enrique, and E. B. Magalona.

Each of the local governments has targetted 25 hectares for the diwal propagation. It is expected to generate millions of pesos in income, a boon to residents of coastal areas.

Once, it was a thriving industry. But over the years, overharvest plus pollution killed most of the diwal. The angel wings used to be peddled in small drums at the Bacolod airport terminal. For the past several years, they have disappeared.

This time, perhaps by next year, diwal will once more be the favorite pasalubong of Negrenses.

Mangrove replanting

Because they are gone away from populated areas, the Japanese helping the mangrove recovery program in Negros Occidental has remained unnoticed. Except when the mangroves have already been visibly restored as in the case of Calatrava in Northern Negros Occidental.

But the battle to restore the environment goes on, albeit silently and without much fanfare. The mangroves of San Enrique is an example.

This time, by February 1, Ikaw-Ako (You and I) Japan-Negros Partnership for Environment Protection will hold another project in Silay City. This will be undertaken with the help of the city government and the Technological University of the Philippines-Visayas. It is dubbed as the Pagatpat Festival.

Ten thousand seedlings will be planted at the Balaring mangrove rehabilitation area. Festival participants will come from various sectors.

Masanori Suzumura, Ikaw-Ako assistant director, said those participating in the affair will do a lot of bending and shaking.

Several Japanese will join the festival. These include Prof. Yorihisha Goto, Kasumi Nagata, Keigo Murata, Chiharu Oka, Nami Takahashi and Yoko Tamura.

Japanese nationals, for example, have been visiting Negros Occidental the past few years. And they have been involved in environment-restoration projects. In Sagay City, members of the Toyota Lions Club have been engaged in reforestation and in mangrove restoration.

We owe a lot to these silent crusaders, although admittedly they often come and go sans fanfare. Anyway, thanks a lot for all that they have done to help the province.