Emergency teams ready as 50,000 expected for Dinagyang highlights

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Authorities are preparing for extreme crowds, heat and other potential hazards as more than 50,000 spectators are expected to attend the Kasadyahan sa Kabanwahanan and Dinagyang Tribes Competition, the main events of the Dinagyang Festival.

Darwin Papa of the Iloilo City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, task unit commander for search and rescue, said the Sub-Site Task Group on Emergency Preparedness and Response is projecting an overall crowd of about 50,000 people during the festival highlights.

Papa said the estimate does not yet include attendees of concerts and privately organized side events held across the city.

“We are expecting around 50,000 for this year. For the highlights, we are around 30,000 for the three judging areas, including those seated inside the venues as well as those positioned at entrances, exits and nearby streets,” Papa said Thursday, Jan. 15.

“Another 20,000 are projected to line up along parade routes and roadside areas, where many spectators usually gather, especially those without tickets,” he added.

To manage crowd movement and possible emergencies, Papa said authorities will establish a centralized area command in the City Proper, supported by incident management teams in all three judging areas.

He said the Iloilo Sports Complex will be placed under a unified command led by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and the Provincial Health Office.

Papa said the judging area along Huervana Street in La Paz will be managed by Federation Fire Iloilo, while the command post at the Iloilo Freedom Grandstand will be led by the ICAG Fire Volunteer Brigade.

He said a total of 655 personnel will be deployed, including 32 ambulances, six rescue trucks, 10 fire engines, 49 ground teams, fire express teams, emergency operations centers and medical teams.

Papa said authorities are preparing for possible fire incidents, particularly because the La Paz and Iloilo Sports Complex judging areas are close to residential communities.

He said the task group is also bracing for extreme heat that could cause dehydration and exhaustion among spectators and dancers.

Papa added that risks associated with mass crowd movement, including possible stampedes, are being considered, especially as performers are required to travel long distances between judging areas.

He said authorities are likewise not discounting the possibility of bomb threats during the festival.

City Health Office assistant head Dr. Roland Jay Fortuna said ambulances will be strategically positioned across major venues, with health personnel deployment concentrated at the Iloilo Freedom Grandstand.

For the Bureau of Fire Protection, 56 personnel will initially be deployed starting Jan. 23, with daily adjustments based on scheduled activities in each judging area.

Held annually in January, the Dinagyang Festival is among the country’s major religious and cultural events and typically draws tens of thousands of local and visiting spectators to Iloilo City.