Kasadyahan sa Kabanwahanan Summit concludes with Cultural Showcase

By Mariela Angella Oladive

The Iloilo provincial government, in partnership with the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), concluded the two-day Kasadyahan sa Kabanwahanan Festival Research and Production Summit with a dinner show on Sept. 7 at the Iloilo Provincial Capitol Lobby.

The summit aimed to professionalize and elevate local festivals by strengthening core competencies in dance, music, costume design, and festival management.

It also sought to create concepts rooted in Iloilo’s history and identity, producing presentations described as “uniquely Ilonggo.”

Workshops and sessions were simultaneously held at the National Museum of Western Visayas and Iloilo National High School.

On the first day, the Sing Philippines Youth Choir (SPYC) led music and voice sessions alongside workshops on dance, costume design, and indigenous instruments.

The second day highlighted dance collaboration, arts and culture discussions, and festival management training.

The summit gathered choreographers, music directors, artists, performers, festival managers, tourism officers, and other stakeholders to build more research-based and authentic festival presentations.

Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. emphasized that Kasadyahan sa Kabanwahanan should move away from Dinagyang-inspired concepts and instead highlight the distinct traditions of Iloilo’s towns and city.

“We want Kasadyahan sa Kabanwahanan to be the cultural stage of the province. We will develop our festivals starting from the barangay level. Because every festival is different. Every festival is unique,” he said.

He urged municipalities to invest in their festivals and place them at the core of Iloilo’s tourism industry, ensuring performances that are world-class yet rooted in local culture.

The event concluded with a dinner show where municipalities showcased their festival traditions through folk music and ethnic dance, echoing the provincial tourism brand “Fun, Foodie, Friendly Iloilo.”

The SPYC, organized in 2014 by the Philippine Madrigal Singers, CCP, and the Andrea O. Veneracion Sing Philippines Foundation, capped the evening with a choral performance.

Kasadyahan sa Kabanwahanan, celebrated every January as part of the Dinagyang Festival, is envisioned as a festival of festivals that honors the culture, customs, and traditions of Iloilo’s component city and municipalities.