'Bancarera' adds excitement to the Sarangani Bay Fest

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines – One of the most exciting and breathtaking events in the yearly Sarangani Bay Festival is the “bancarera” organized by Bombo Radyo-General Santos.

The bancarera is a racing contest of motorized small boats manned by a single racer in an oval-shaped track race about a hundred meters away from the coastline.

“The oval track race gives total excitement to the spectators because they can see the whole race from start to finish unlike in the straight race,” Bombo Radyo-General Santos station manager Dan Caliosan said.

“It’s an exciting race by the sea with colorful bancas speeding up to 100 kph (kilometers per hour),” Caliosan said.

Racers are required to use a 13- to 16- horsepower marine engine. Last year, 30 racers joined the bancarera at the White Haven Resort in Gumasa, Glan town.

This year, the bancarera will be held at Coco Beach, also a white sand beach resort next to White Haven and Rosal, on May 21.

Bombo Radyo started the bancarera in General Santos in 1998.

“It’s not just a competition. We try to value the source of livelihood of marginalized fishermen in the city which is the Sarangani Bay, adding recognition to General Santos as the tuna capital of the Philippines,” Caliosan said.

“It’s a tribute to both the bay and our fishing communities which later turned out to be a tourism event,” he added.

Last year’s Sarangani Bay Festival bancarera was won by a racer from Maasim town who competed with 29 other racers from General Santos City, Sarangani and Compostela Valley province.

This year’s prizes are P15,000, first prize; P10,000, second prize; P5,000, third prize; and P1,000 consolation prize for each racer who qualified in the screening.

“For Sarangani Bay Festival next year, we are planning to include special prizes like the most attractive or best designed banca,” Caliosan said.

Bombo Radyo will conduct a pre-screening for the open competition today. Registration is free.