One Visayas, Uniting the Region

CEBU, Philippines - A whole week of celebration, culture and the arts is what Cebuanos will be treated to as we greet the month of March.

An initiative of the three regional development council chairmen of the Visayas headed by Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, who heads RDC-7, One Visayas, happening at the Cebu International Convention Center from March 1-8 (it’s for free), is a show of unity which, according to Governor Garcia, will hopefully be duplicated in Luzon and in Mindanao.

Department of Tourism Region 7 Director Patria Aurora Roa revealed in a press conference at the Cebu Provincial Capitol, that during a meeting of the three RDC chairmen (Governor Garcia for Region 7, Antique Governor Salvacion Perez of RDC-6, and Calbayog City Mayor Mel Senen Sarmiento of RDC-8) August of last year, they decided to come up with a project that would best represent and would impact the whole of the Visayas. Thus, One Visayas was conceptualized, gaining inspiration from One Cebu which is now a province-wide political movement of unity.

“We wanted to come up with a concrete project that will not waste our time,” Governor Garcia said. “This is a first for all provinces in the entire Visayas to be united (in one project). You should be proud because it’s the first and nag-una sa Visayas. Our brothers and sisters in Luzon and Mindanao would see na mahimo diay, that we can be united.”

“Tourism is a very strong component of development,” said Director Roa. “Hopefully this will gain momentum.”

So what would we expect during this grand event?

The grand opening last March 1 was indeed a grand opening. Under the direction of Garbo sa Sugbo awardee Junjet Primor, the opening showcased the many festivals across the Visayas led by none other than our very own Sinulog presented by Tribu Basakanon.

In the next days leading to the culminating ceremony, there will be talks on different Visayan arts covering theater, literature, dance, music, film, visual arts, culinary arts, crafts, architecture and fine arts. There is also an on-going exhibition of different Visayan arts, a fair featuring the different crafts and products all over the Visayas, film showings of different Visayan-produced films including the award-winning Cebuano film Confessional, and nightly performances from different groups in Cebu.

On March 8, there will be an even grander celebration to culminate the event. This will be highlighted by the turn-over ceremonies to the host province for next year’s One Visayas and an elaborate fireworks display. A midnight sale for all products displayed at the exhibition area will also follow.

All 16 provinces of the Visayas region sent delegations to the event. Each province has a booth showcasing their local products, and most sent cultural groups who will present their place’s festival dance.

A grand tour of the Visayas region, One Visayas is indeed the perfect conduit that will create a One People, One Destiny, One Visayas.