You’re Filipino if you love a fiesta. Despite the reports of inclement weather in the Visayas, we were eager to experience Iloilo City’s Dinagyang, The festival’s name is derived from the Ilonggo word dagyang which means “to make merry.” Surely, the spirit of dagyang, coupled with the Ilonggos’ warm hospitality, will result in a party that will be hard to beat. “Let’s leave the singing to my brother,” joked our amiable hostess Nene Chan Sola before leaving Manila. While Jose Mari Chan’s singing is always a treat, discordant caterwauling might bring on the
“What makes Dinagyang distinct from other fiestas honoring the Santo Nino?” we asked Iloilo city mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog. He tells us that apart from dancers sporting brown body paint instead of the usual black, native musical instruments accompany the drumbeats. The festival planners also made sure that there would be more activities to interest everyone, so that a golf tournament, shoot-fest, duathlon, badminton competition and rhythm band contest were featured as side events.
In addition, the First Sining Pambansa, or Ilonggo Film Festival was held in partnership with the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP,) where 12 movies were shown for free. “We hope to make it an international film festival next year,” shares the mayor. And at a coffee outlet in Smallville, Iloilo’s vibrant party place later on that evening, we met Daisy Cheryl Yanson who tells us of a proposal by certain sectors to restore Iloilo City’s grand old theaters so that these could serve as screening venues for future film festivals. Certainly, we hope that the project will proceed so that Iloilo’s distinctive architecture can be preserved. While grand old homes like Nelly Garden are able to reinvent themselves as events venues, distinctive old buildings within the city need to find contemporary relevance so that they do not fall into shabby neglect.
Of course, gourmands will always say that Iloilo is a prime destination because of its incomparable food variety. Apart from the famous batchoy and baked goodies like the banadas, butterscotch bars, biscocho, barquillos, galletas, barquiron and piaya, there is excellent fresh seafood. At the famous Breakthrough Restaurant in Villa Beach, we bumped into erstwhile food magazine editor-in-chief Lorraine Timbol and popular chef Sau del Rosario, who tell us that they are in the city to judge a cooking competition — additional proof that the food scene in Iloilo is dynamic. The local food scene has young, creative and highly qualified chefs who are not afraid to innovate. Still, our curiosity was piqued by Manila-based lawyer Jeric Jucaban’s mention of a lesser-known seafood restaurant named JoyJoy’s along the Iloilo-Dumangas coastal road. We made a mental note to visit it next time.
What made this year’s Dinagyang unique was that presidential sister Maria Elena “Ballsy” Aquino- Cruz was named “Adopted Daughter of Iloilo City.” Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog shares that apart from following up on the repair of a road at Barangay San Isidro in Jaro, Ballsy Cruz distributed medicines at the height of the dengue outbreak in the city. She also serves as honorary chairman of the San Antonio Foundation and Enhancement Center (SAFEC), a privately funded organization that awards scholarships, extends business assistance to pedicab drivers and provides various livelihood opportunities in selected local barangays. At a luncheon meeting with SAFEC leaders and community volunteers, Cruz told the group, “Our family wants all Filipinos to have better lives, and your efforts have made us indebted to you.” The meeting was followed by a visit to one beneficiary barangay, followed by a stop at Asilo de Molo where Cruz thanked a 95-year-old nun who, despite considerable physical difficulty, insisted on going out to vote for President P-Noy last year.
The announcement declaring Cruz as an “Adopted Daughter” was made during the main event at the Freedom Grandstand the next morning, while the dancing, music and merrymaking continued until the wee hours of the following day. Ilonggos really know how to party!