Lingganay Festivalwins 2011 Pintados

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines — The Lingganay Festival of Alang-alang town was the champion of this year's Pintados Kasadyaan Festival, besting nine other entries from different towns of Leyte to win the P500,000 cash prize.

The Karatong Festival of Dulag, Leyte won 2nd place and the best in festival music award to get a total of P400,000, while the Pamilipig Festival of Sta. Fe, Leyte took the 3rd place prize of P100,000.

Organizers have decided to put the P100,000 prize for the best in street dancing award in an escrow account and will be doubled next year instead because there was no proclaimed winner after the Festival's mardi gras was allegedly stopped by the city government and was forced to go straight to the venue grounds for the competition.

The Pintados Foundation, together with Governor Carlos Jericho Petilla and Leyte provincial officials, has been at odds with the Tacloban City government, headed by Mayor Alfred Romualdez over the holding of the festival.

The City has a "one festival policy" and recognizes only Sangyaw, but the court issued a temporary restraining order against the city from stopping Pintados.— THE FREEMAN