BORACAY ISLAND, Aklan – The Fila Boracay International Dragon Boat Festival scored many breakthroughs this long Labor Day weekend. The most obvious is that, despite the slew of big parties and events (most of which take place at night), the Dragonboat Festival dominates the day, and the long stretch of beach in front of the Boracay Regency Resort.
This year, roughly a thousand participants from Europe, Asia and the United States flooded the laid-back paradise, as 47 teams entered the blown-up edition of the competition, thanks in large part to the Department of Tourism. Teams that came in from as far away as Germany, Liechtenstein, the US, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and of course, the Philippines were paddling for record times in the men’s, women’s and mixed 300- and 500-meter races. Organizers from the host Boracay Island Paddlers Association (BIPA) and the Philippine Dragonboat Federation spent days just setting up the venue.
“This year is really much bigger than last year,” says Candy Ledesma of the host BIPA, and also a competitor along with her two sisters. “We really received a lot of support from the local government, the resort owners and of course, our sponsors. Of course, with the increased participants came a lot of challenges, but it was all done in the spirit of fun and Filipino hospitality. This is really a big event for the island.”
“If you put together sports events like this, you will see that they actually very big tourism-generating projects,” explains Cynthia Carrion, Tourism assistant secretary for Sports and Wellness Tourism. “All over the world, people want to come to places like Boracay in the Philippines, and this is the best way for us to promote our country. When you blend sports and tourism, you are combining two of the largest industries in the world.”
A Chinese legend traces the roots of Dragon Boat racing to the life of the patriotic poet Qu Yuan, who died in 278 B.C. Though he was a minister of the government of the state of Chu and descended from royalty, Qu (acknowledged as the father of Chinese poetry) advocated unity among the various kingdoms of China against the Qin, who threatened to gobble them all up under one territory. Unfortunately, the Chu king had been influenced by corrupt ministers and was persuaded to banish his favorite adviser, Qu Yuan, from the kingdom.
Qu spent the next few years collecting poetry and traveling the countryside. Upon learning that the capital of Chu had been captured by the despised Qin, Qu reportedly waded into the Miluo river (in what is now Hunan province) as a sign of protest. He carried with him a large rock in order to commit ritual suicide. The legend further states that, upon hearing this, the fisher folk jumped into their boats, and rowed out into the river, beating their drums to drive away evil spirits and curious fish in order to preserve Qu Yuan’s body. The rhythmic drumming the ferocity of their paddling spread through word of mouth. Today, his act or protest and the ensuing public reaction are commemorated with the Duan Wu or Tuen Ng Festival, known worldwide as the Dragon Boat Festival.
The modern form of dragonboat racing consists of 20 members for each participating team: 18 rowers, one drummer and one steersman. The drummer drives the paddlers, with his pounding providing the beat to which they row. Boracay has seen dragonboating on the island expand in the last seven years, from being just a pastime for locals to a big international event that draws competitors from around the world. In the Boracay festival, the winners of each heat may move on to the next round, or race again if they feel they can improve their times.
“We always prepare for this event, because of the pride of being the champions and representing Cam Sur,” admits Camarines Sur governor LRay Villafuerte, whose teams are defending the two men’s titles here. Villafuerte was even discussing the possibility of flying from Boracay to Cam Sur, to take advantage of the winds in his area.
Two other titles are currently held by hard-driving teams from Boracay.Villafuerte is also organizing his own dragonboat race for his province, and studied the way the Boracay event was put together.
The teams are a merry mix from many different walks of life, with one thing in common: they enjoy the sport, but value the camaraderie even more. A team from Australia is made up of more mature paddlers, with the youngest members in their late 40’s. They were fun to watch even just in the warm-up. A local team is using the attention from the event to advocate breast cancer awareness, and even counts survivors among its team. The delegation from Germany overcame complicated changes in their travel, and yet arrived just in time for the opening yesterday with smiles on their faces. The Hong Kong team loudly celebrated the opening ceremony, which showcased the Boracay Performing Arts group and stunningly skillful fire dancers who took visitors’ breath away. And, of course, the spectacular views and warm weather made everything all the more pleasant.
The Fila Boracay International Dragon Boat is presented by the Deparment of Tourism, and sponsored by SEA Air, First Metro Securities, Smart, URC, Asian Spirit, The Boracay Strand, Hidden Spring, Sun Life Financial, Euro Motor Corporation and San Mig Light, and is supported by ANC’s Hardball and Wave 89.1 and ends today.