The Wagayway Festival

Wagayway is a Filipino word that means wave, display or unfurl something that is folded like a streamer, banner or flag. It is also the name for the newest festival to be added to our country’s rather long list of special events. The commemoration of the first Wagayway Festival started last Saturday, May 24, in Imus, Cavite; and will conclude tomorrow, May 28, which is incidentally also recognized as National Flag Day. The Wagayway Festival got its name from the first Philippine Flag sewn in Hongkong by Doña Marcela Agoncillo. I have previously observed that the colors of the Philippine flag are the same as that of the American flag, so to distinguish it from the American flag which was known as the Red, White and Blue, I refer to the Philippine flag as the Red, White and Blue with the sun shining through.

It was originally unfurled in Imus by General Emilio Aguinaldo in his headquarters in Cavite on May 28, 1898; following a victory by local revolutionary forces against the superior Spanish militia in what is now known as the “Battle of Alapan”. Victorious Filipino revolutionists, a large group of officers and men of the US Asiatic Squadron under the command of Admiral George Dewey and the more than 270 Spanish soldiers who surrendered, witnessed the unfurling ceremony. Not many people may know it, but the “Battle of Alapan” was very significant because the triumph of our revolutionary forces paved the way for the eventual birth of the First Philippine Republic. Aguinaldo again unfurled the same flag during the declaration of Philippine Independence in the nearby town of Kawit on June 12 of the same year.

Proponents of the Wagayway Festival, headed by Imus Mayor Emmanuel Maliksi and Vice Mayor Mandy Ilano are hoping that the celebration would usher in a new era and create a new identity for their municipality, that is, to be known as the nation’s flag capital. They are optimistic that this will strengthen their campaign to make this event an annual celebration much like our country’s more famous festivals like the Sinulog of Cebu, Davao’s Kidapawan, the Ati-Atihan of Aklan and many others.

Unlike most of our festivals which are religious in nature, however, this is the first time that a festival with a historical and nationalistic theme will be celebrated, highlighting the bravery and patriotism of the Filipino revolutionary forces who won the Battle of Alapan despite tremendous odds. Hopefully, the celebration of the Wagayway Festival will once again bring out the patriotism and heroism in all of us, much like the Filipino soldiers who won the battle of Alapan.