Naga cancels Dagitab, to use budget to fund evacuees' needs

CEBU, Philippines — Dagitab, the festival celebrated yearly in the City of Naga, literally means “light,” the city being home to two major power producers in Central Visayas.

This year, however, the landslide that killed 78 people in Barangay Tinaan will shut off the bright and glittering lights of different colors that have come to be associated with the festival.

Organizers have decided to cancel the celebration so the event’s funds can be used for the evacuees.

Since its conception, this is the first time that the festival of dance and lights was excluded from the city's year-round activities.

Information Officer Ruth Alensonorin said that this year was supposed to mark the 11th celebration of the Dagitab Festival.

The event has always been celebrated every December 23 of the year since 2007.

“We have to forgo some big events so that naa pa mi mahabilin nga resources nga magamit for the evacuees in the centers karon,” she said.

She said that the city government spends around P250,000 every day in order to provide for the needs of the evacuees especially meals and medicine.

Last year, the city government allocated P3.5 million for the festival.

Alensonorin said that about P2 million was allocated for cultural activities this year but not necessarily for Dagitab alone.

The landslide in Naga City last September took over 70 lives and left thousands of families homeless after the areas were marked as permanent danger zones and are therefore considered no-build zones.

At present, 10 evacuation centers with 3,974 individuals now or 1,010 families are still operating.

However, the city government will push through with its simultaneous switching on of Christmas lights on December 8 after the procession of the Immaculate Conception.

“This is to uplift the spirits of the Nagahanons at the aftermath of the landslide, to signify that there is hope,” she said.

Protest

And in another development, workers of APO Cement Corporation continue with their protest movement to stall the impending layoff of several employees who are mostly from Naga City.

Some workers staged a protest rally in front of the regional offices DENR and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Wednesday seeking for a dialogue with officials.

Johnrell Goles, president of APO Cement Workers’ Union, said the group, during a closed-door discussion, asked DENR-7 officials to lift the suspension of the quarry operations of the company.

He, however, said that the officials did not commit that cancelling the suspension can be done right away since the order was from Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu. — MBG (FREEMAN)