P1.2M Awaits Kasadyahan sa Kabanwahanan Champion

By Mariela Angella Oladive

The champion of the Kasadyahan sa Kabanwahanan 2025 will receive a grand cash prize of PHP 1.2 million, as announced by festival organizers. The first runner-up will take home PHP 700,000, while the second runner-up will receive PHP 500,000.

Six non-winning groups will each be awarded a consolation prize of PHP 200,000.

The competition will also feature eight special award categories, each with a PHP 10,000 cash prize. The awards include:

• Best in Performance
• Best in Choreography
• Best in Music
• Best in Costume Design
• Best in Production Design
• Best in Discipline
• Best in Street Dancing
• People’s Choice Award

To further support the event, the provincial government has allocated funding for participating municipalities. Smaller towns have been granted PHP 2 million each, while larger municipalities received PHP 1.5 million.

The participating tribes for this year are:

• Banaag Festival of Anilao
• Kaing Festival of Leon
• Tawili Festival of San Rafael
• Hirinugyaw Suguidadonay Festival of Calinog
• Tinuom Festival of Cabatuan
• Cry of Jelicuon Festival of New Lucena
• Tangyan Festival of Igbaras
• Haw-as Festival of Dumangas
• Tultugan Festival of Maasin

Now in its second year, the Kasadyahan sa Kabanwahanan competition will be held on January 25, 2025, at 1 p.m., as part of the Dinagyang Festival celebrations.

Festival Program and Production Director Alfonso Baldonado stated that each tribe’s performance must adhere to the strict time limit of 8 to 10 minutes and 29 seconds.

The competition will be judged by a distinguished panel led by Madam Shirley Halili-Cruz, former chair of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts – Committee on Dance, and artistic director of the Halili-Cruz School of Dance.

With the theme “Fun, Foodie, Friendly Iloilo para sa Bagong Pilipinas,” the Kasadyahan sa Kabanwahanan competition showcases the creativity, discipline, and artistry of Iloilo’s tribes. It continues to elevate the province’s reputation as a premier cultural and tourism hub in the Philippines.